Oh It's a Long, Long Way...from May to December...

Actually, it's not even May, but it is March, and I have spent a while away from trying to compose my thoughts to any extent. Absolutely too many dustbunnies flying around in my aging brain, and no broom to sweep them out of the way. I'm not entirely sure why Willie Nelson's plaintiff rendition of this song popped into my head as I started to write.

When last here, I was expounding on giving parties where noone came, in reference to our possible lack of azaleas at Bayou Bend for Azalea Trail. Here we are at the given weekend, and sure enough, very few azaleas have peaked out to see the visitors. Interestingly enough, the gardens are actually quite lovely in their early, early spring attire. This is the show that people seldom see because they are waiting for the big color splash of March. Everything that is blooming is blooming its heart out. The oriental magnolias are so full of blossoms that you can hardly see through them, and the paperwhites are abundant. The camellias have shed their blooms that were nipped by the snow and freezes and trying to make up for the sleepy azaleas.

The garden club brought in extra potted color and pansies and a little of this ant that to dress things up - everyone is trying to put on a good show.

One just has to look at it all differently. It is like going down to Galveston after Hurricane Ike.

If you go expecting and insisting on what was there before, you will be disappointed. But, if you go with an open mind and some imagination, you can appreciate the possibilities for growth and "bloom" that are there, and it spurs your curiousity to return. Mother Nature just does not seem to run by our human schedule. Always forcing the re-creation...