A whiff of Spring

Did Phil see his shadow? (I just looked. He did. He always does. You would want to go back into your hole too if they dragged you out first thing in the morning when you could be napping. But really, I'm sure Phil just wants to get back to his nice, warm indoor habitat in the town library...)

Well, Phil be darned! Today was beautiful in town. So much so that when I finally finished my shopping and stopped in front of the house to unload the groceries, I left my coat inside, rolled down the windows in the car, and proceded to enjoy the air for the next 45 minutes as I looked for parking.

Days like this make me think of spring, and sunny days and flowers. I quoted Jenny in an earlier post and her comment about my collections of small things. I even like flowers that are clusters or cascades of small buds - lily of the valley, lantana, sweet pepper bush, and my all time favorite, lilacs.

We had a lilac out back in the house where I grew up, and they were Aunt Evelyn's favorites. It's the scent. It's just heaven. I can't get enough. And the blooms don't last when you cut them, so the best thing is to bury your face in someone's shrub, and hope they don't mind.

I learned just now that there is an annual lilac festival in Rochester, NY. I'm going to Rochester in May, so I wondered if I would be there on the right weekend. Alas, no. I will be a weekend too early. I wonder if the lilacs would accomodate me and bloom just a bit earlier.

In my house hunting, I'm looking for a house with a little yard. Not that I'm such a big gardener, but I need one for two reasons - summer cocktail parties and lilacs (well, and probably lily of the valley. And peonies. And maybe a rosebush. An orange azalea in front of the house?). I want one of the beautiful deep purple ones, but of course it's gotta have that scent. I bet I'll end up needing more than one...