While I babysit Penelope and work on my 2nd round of edits, I keep saying to myself that Spring is around the corner. It’s my way of keeping myself going. Lately I’ve been fascinated by planting. I’m terrible with plants. I have a purple thumb and they wither in my presence. The flowers I love most I can usually buy a few stalks of to put in a vase and brighten my house. I have three favorites: lilacs, peonies, and wisteria.
It’s primarily the fragrance of these flowers that attract me. I think I may plant a lilac bush in my yard. I really should. Nothing inspires me like lilacs or peonies. When I very small, my family lived for a short time in upstate New York. I was in kindergarten and was not allowed to cross the street.
The Victorian house across the street had the most wonderful garden. I remember the lilacs and the peonies there and flowers I could not name.
My mom was very busy trying to pack and take care of my new baby sister. She thought I was playing in the backyard of the house like I always did. I was an amazingly good girl. Most of the time.
I crossed the street. The house was owned by a silver haired lady. She invited me in for tea. I went and the house was beautiful, furnished in Victorian style. That was the first time I heard a harpischord.
I drank tea and nibbled her homemade cookies, while she played the harpischord and showed me photos of her grandchildren that never came to visit. I was very sad for her and when I could I crossed the street to visit.
I know that was a very bad thing to do, and anything could have happened. Fortunately she was a good woman and nothing bad happened to me, and when my family moved away she became one of my favorite memories. Everytime spring comes around, I think of her wonderful garden.
We’re expecting snow tomorrow and I already have had enough with my springtime dreaming. I still have ice and snow in my yard from the last storm. I saw this cookie on Pinterest that sort of summed up my feelings as well as looking delicious. LOL
A special thank you to the folks at Pinterest for the flower photos too.
-Susan
Susan Hanniford Crowley
http://www.susanhannifordcrowley.com
What lovely memory, Susan! We had a forest of lilacs in our garden in Hungary; the white lilac tree lit up May nights, the purples came in different shades and thickness.
In New England, I heard, houses had lilacs to ward off evil spirits. I rented a 200-year-old colonial in Deep River when I moved to CT. Permit me to share something I wrote in my memoir:
“When I moved out, I left behind a thank-you, a bit of my old home in Hungary where my journey began: a lilac bush. It still thrives wildly, without reserve–as do I.”
I have a peony-memory, too, but it’s a bit personal …
By: ZsuZsa Simandy/Mariette Miko on February 23, 2013
at 6:59 am
I actually saw a robin last week! Amazing. He was hopping around on the small patches of grass that showed between the piles of snow. Loved your story, Susan. Today one would be frantic to think their child went inside a neighbor’s house. Times sure have changed. When I owned my house I had both lilacs and wisteria. Loved them.
By: Gerri Brousseau on February 23, 2013
at 9:30 am
We had a huge lilac bush next to our garage when I was growing up; they will always mean spring to me. I love the snowman!
By: cmkempe on February 23, 2013
at 5:31 pm