ramblings from an arkansas farm girl
Every spring is the only spring – a perpetual astonishment. – Ellis Peters
pink flock
pink hyacinth
old pink gate
butterfly and pink phlox
Jesus beyond the pink
Grace Grits and Gardening
Musical Pairing:
The Psychedelic Furs, Pretty in Pink
Childhood drives through the Ozarks happened only in summer when our perfect lake was surrounded by fifty shades of green with black-eyed Susans dotting the roadside. Lately it seems, I spend more time in the Ozarks during fall and winter. Fall is the most brilliant time of the year. The mountains are alive, and the very landscape provides inspiration. I appreciate winter too. The grace and gray of a cold Ozark morning provides a calm, serene backdrop for writing.
But yesterday as I drove to Eureka Springs, I realized I’ve never visited the Ozarks during early spring. And I have a good reason…spring is the best time not to leave Dallas. Dallasites know to soak up spring in Texas before summer settles in, hangs on, wrings every drop of energy from every living thing. Even so, I left a breezy 75 degree spring Dallas morning and headed to the Writer’s Colony at Dairy Hollow.
Sometimes writers need to get away to write.
My writer friend Tom from New Hampshire joined me which made the drive more entertaining. We talked about writing because we are addicted. We stopped in Oklahoma and took pictures of random things. Because that’s what addicted bloggers do.
Spring has even found Oklahoma.
We made a quick stop in Fayetteville mainly so I could lay eyes on my handsome son. Driving into our Fayetteville driveway, I received a delightful welcome back surprise from Mother Nature…tulips! In the two years John and I have owned this house, we’ve never seen evidence of tulips.
The Fayetteville I’d begun only to think of as fiery orange and red was painted the colors of Easter. Pink redbuds decorated the mountainside. Clumps of daffodils blossomed thick along sidewalks and along highways. Sprays of forsythia bloomed underneath giant oaks. It was hard to concentrate on the road. (Especially with Tom snoozing…)
We made it to Eureka Springs just in time for supper. And believe me, mealtime at Dairy Hollow is not something to miss. Our friend Dorothy (from Little Rock) was already checked in and writing. After an amazing meal, Tom disappeared to write while Dorothy and I sat on the deck overlooking a hollow (THE hollow I suppose). We enjoyed a glass of wine and discussed how blessed we are to spend time at this magical place, especially in spring.
Grace Grits and Gardening
“That is one good thing about this world…there are always sure to be more springs.”
― L.M. Montgomery
Who decided dandelions were weeds?
American poet Ella Wilcox said a weed is but an unloved flower. This is so true.
Dandelions have popped up throughout our neighborhood, bright buttons of yellow growing in clumps near fences and sidewalks. I kinda like dandelions. To me, they are one of the first signs of Spring.
My sister and I couldn’t wait to be big enough to mow the yard. Once the day finally came, that John Deere riding mower became ours until we left for college. Of course the excitement quickly wore off as the summer sun baked our vast yard. The grass grew fast, probably because it was mostly weeds—dandelions, henbit and those pale pink flowers that look like lacy cups. Sometimes we left patches of dandelions in the side yard because they were so pretty. Daddy didn’t much like that…
If you look closely, dandelions are not that different from mums. Or asters. Or daisies. Only easier to grow…
Why not celebrate the hardy dandelion? Instead we make things difficult, wrestling with prissy flowers that may or may not survive.
The happy go lucky dandelion asks for nothing except to be left alone to grow and spread. If we pay attention, they will even predict the weather—open and fluffy during a stretch of sunny days but shut tight when rain is coming. With leaves that can be used for tea and salad and wine, the dandelion is useful too.
But the very best part…
When the time is right, the flower head transforms into a light white feathery globe, a parachute ready to spread tiny seeds across the land. What other flower miraculously transforms a roadside or abandoned lot or ditch bank into a thousand wishes?
One Thousand Wishes
(morgueFile)
Grace Grits and Gardening
“When life is not coming up roses
Look to the weeds
and find the beauty hidden within them.”
― L.F.Young
