Although it was a little cool today, and overcast a good portion of the day, two signs of spring appeared, to let me know that the season of awakening and rebirth is near. I noticed this afternoon that my purple lilac bush, located on the northeast corner of the house, had unfurled pale green leaves, the first of my plants to stir from winter’s sleep.
And, my front porch began its transition from winter to spring today. I did that, of course, but it signals the arrival of spring as surely as the budding trees and the lilac opening. I love this ritual of resetting my porch and my house, creating vignettes and using pieces in new ways, as the seasons change. As the temps continue to warm up, I’ll add live plants and colorful potted flowers, and bring my yellow metal baker’s rack back to the front deck.
I’ve come to appreciate winter for its time of rest and reflection, time of restoration and preparation. I LOVE spring, summer and fall. Although I’d be hard pressed to pick my favorite among those last three seasons, I think spring wins by a narrow margin. The stirring of the earth, the rebirth signified by flowers pushing up through the moist ground, the greens and golds of early foliage and the fragrant flowers on fruit and decorative trees, the animals who reappear after wintering elsewhere, all create an answering awakening and stirring in me. And the warming of the air and ground means I can be outside, gardening! I am so excited to see how my backyard garden fared over the winter, and begin phase two back there.
I’m letting pictures tell the rest of the story this evening, and so the remainder of my blog post is pictorial, capturing those early signs of spring. Margaret Atwood shares one of my favorite sentiments about spring: “In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt.” I can’t wait!
A favorite place to watch the world go by
The letter C from Kaleb, and the green bud vase move outdoors. Dried baby’s breath and dried basil fill the vase.
My old wooden crate holds mason jar candles and fat red birds, and the ruby red bud vases from Kaleb.
Yellow and green, blue and lavender, and hints of red and pink….colors of spring.