SEARCHING FOR SPRING—PART 1: Hopeful Promise

 

“Never yet was there a springtime, when a bud forgot to bloom.”  Margaret Elizabeth Sangster

This whole year has suggested a terrific spring was on the way.  In California, the rains were plentiful for a change, and periodic unseasonably warm weather was erupting several days at a time.  Flowers everywhere were starting to bloom, early in fact.  The camellia bushes outside my front door produced quite a few blooms.

Starting in March, I took little trips to find the evidence of spring that was all around.  But the flowers around my apartment complex are some of my favorites.

Splotches of color were also evident in various towns I was driving through with lots of green along the way as well.

The fields were mainly green this early in the month—but that too is a good sign for a wondrous display in the weeks to come.

 

My initial visits to Red Rock Canyon State Park and the California Poppy Preserve did not uncover extensive wildflowers, but there was promise of more to come in the occasional Joshua Tree that was starting to bloom and the isolated patches of poppies that were starting to pop up.

Of course, a drive through the Kern River Canyon (Highway 178) is always delightful! This year the rushing river really caught my attention.

Over the next several weeks, I took several treks into the hills, finding some glorious wildflowers.  I will share photos from those visits in the next several posts.  Where have you been finding flowers in bloom this season?

SPRING IS HERE!

Yellow is the perfect color for spring.  It is vibrant, alive, boisterous, hopeful.  Yellow reminds us all that new life is just around the corner. It brings the brightness and warmth of the sun into the garden—or into the house through a bouquet.   A few weeks ago, I visited Red Rock Canyon State Park, near Mojave, California, and enjoyed a glorious spring day full of wildflowers and butterflies.  The Desert Dandelions stretched like a carpet across the desert floor.

If spring has not yet started to dance around your gardens, be patient.  As Elizabeth Sangster says, “Never yet was a spring time when the buds forgot to bloom.”   Hope these yellow blooms bring a little springtime to your world.

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A FEW QUOTES ABOUT YELLOW

“Yellow flowers are like physical manifestations of sunlight.”  Jarod Kintz

“She wore her yellow sun-bonnet, she wore her greenest gown’ she turned to the south wind and curtsied up and down. She turned to the sunlight and shook her yellow head, and whispered to her neighbor, ‘Winter is dead.”  A. A. Milne

“Yellow is a very favorable vibration for mental or intellectual activity, as it promotes a clear state of mind.  Yellow heightens your awareness and alleviates depression, sadness, or any kind of despondency.”  Tae Yun Kim

“Some painters transform the sun into a yellow spot, others transform a yellow spot into the sun.”  Pablo Picasso

“How wonderful yellow is.  It stands for the sun.”  Vincent Van Gogh

 NOTE:  This post is my response to Sunday Stills, the Next Challenge: Yellow or Wildflowers. You’ll see some great shots when you enjoy all the responses to this challenge.

The Hope of Spring

“The first day of spring is one thing, and the first spring day is another.  The difference between them is sometimes as great as a month.”  Henry Van Dyke

Today is the Vernal Equinox, the official start of Spring 2015.  Where I live in California, the weather has been great lately—the 70s and 80s as the highs—and blossoms are bursting forth across the city.  I realize other parts of the country might be colder and gloomier, but it is still the start of spring.  So take heart!  Embrace the change, the hope, promise and expectation of spring.  As Margaret Elizabeth Sangster said, “Never yet was a springtime, when the buds forgot to bloom.”

When I ran errands the other day, I captured some of the blossoms that were evident across the city.  Even brought a couple inside to brighten the living room.  What signs of spring are you seeing in your neighborhood?

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SOME QUOTES ABOUT SPRING, HOPE & FLOWERS

“Man needs, for his happiness, not only the enjoyment of this or that, but hope and enterprise and change.”  Bertrand Russell

“It’s spring fever. . . . You don’t quite know what it is you do want, but it just fairly makes your heart ache, you want it so!”  Mark Twain

“Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways.  The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again.”  Sarah Ban Breathnach

“Spring is nature’s way of saying, ‘Let’s party!’”  Robin Williams

“Sitting quietly, doing nothing, spring comes, and the grass grows by itself.”  Zen Proverb

“If we had no winter, the spring would not be so pleasant; if we did not sometimes taste adversity, prosperity would not be so welcome.”  Anne Bradstreet

“O, wind, if winter comes, can spring be far behind?”  Percy Bysshe Shelley

“The day the Lord created hope was probably the same day he created Spring.”  Bern Williams

“Spring is when you feel like whistling even with a shoe full of slush.”  Doug Larson

“Spring has returned.  The Earth is like a child that knows poems.”  Rainer Marie Rilke

“In the spring, at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt,”  Margaret Atwood

“No winter lasts forever; no spring skips its turn.”  Hal Borland

“Behold, my friends, the spring is come; the earth has gladly received the embraces of the sun, and we shall soon see the results of their love!”  Sitting Bull

“No matter how chaotic it is, wildflowers will still spring up in the middle of nowhere.”  Sheryl Crow

“Poor, dear, silly Spring, preparing her annual surprise!”  Wallace Stevens

“Spring makes its own statement, so loud and clear that the gardener seems to be only one of the instruments, not the composer.”  Geoffrey B. Charlesworth

“I love spring anywhere, but if I could choose I would always greet it in a garden.”  Ruth Stout

“The beautiful spring came; and when Nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.”  Harriet Ann Jacobs

“An optimist is the human personification of spring.”  Susan J. Bissonette

“Spring is when life’s alive in everything.”  Christina Rossetti

“The flowers of late winter and early spring occupy places in our hearts well out of proportion to their size.”  Gertrude S. Wister

“Flowers are the sweetest things God ever made, and forgot to put a soul into.”  Henry Beecher

“Earth laughs in flowers.”  Ralph Waldo Emerson

“Flowers leave some of their fragrance in the hand that bestows them.”  Chinese Proverb

SEQUOIA NATIONAL PARK: A Quick Drive Through the Park

SEQUOIA & KINGS CANYON NATIONAL PARKS

About ten days ago, a friend and I made a quick trip to Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Parks.  Our plan was to spend a couple days enjoying the trees and solitude.  It was a glorious visit even though it did not pan out exactly as expected.

For one thing, we had planned to have two days in the park, but ended up with only one.  A storm moved in and closed the roads inside the park, so although we were there we could not get anywhere.  Second, we had hoped to see some wildflowers—and we did.  There were some lupines in bloom near the entrance and alongside some country roads, but none were at a spot where it was easy to stop and take pictures.  A few other flowers punctuated the landscape as well—some California poppies and pretty yellow flowers.  And pretty pink trees popped up here and there along the route.  The orange trees we drove past—field after field—were in bloom.  The best part of that was the delightful orange blossom smell that wafted into the car as we drove by.

Finally, we figured we would enjoy some delightful spring weather.  After all, spring had officially sprung and we were on spring break.  But like I said, a storm moved in and closed the roads—and the temps were a bit chilly. In fact, snow was still all around.  But-don’t get me wrong—I am not complaining.  The weather was crisp and glorious.  The snow on the trees was impressive and made it feel like we were driving through a snow globe.  And the storm closed the roads and sent us home, but it did not rain/snow and pour on us—we even saw glorious clouds and heard rain on the roof overnight.

 

Overall, although cut short, this was a great trip to Sequoia National Park.  We technically entered Kings Canyon National Park but never quite made it to Grants Grove to walk among the great big trees.  So, we figure we need to go again—maybe the end of May—to enjoy the forest again.  Next time, I doubt any roads will be closed! But the trees we did see and walk among were great, making us feel the grandeur of nature as seen in these magnificent Sequoia Redwoods.

 

Our one-day drive through Sequoia National Park helped us remember how accurate John Muir was in his description of the big trees:  “When I entered this sublime wilderness the day was nearly done, the trees with rosy, glowing countenances seemed to be hushed and thoughtful, as if waiting in conscious religious dependence on the sun, and one naturally walked softly and awestricken among them.” 

The trees are the obvious draw of the park, but there are also glorious vistas and impressive rock formations.  We even took the 10-mile travel-at-your-own-risk-not-cleared-in-winter road out to Hume Lake.

As we ended our first day in the Parks, we decided to re-trace our steps to get to the hotel.  Our plan was to explore Kings Canyon the second day.  Instead, the road had closed behind us, and we could not get back the way we came.  Our detour took us through some farmland that included orange groves. Although not what we planned, we had a great day!

Just Get Busy!

Well, it has officially been Spring for 10 days now, even if some areas are still feeling the cold of winter.  In Bakersfield, California, bees are enjoying the new flowers on all the bushes and trees.  I even saw a lady bug the other day.  We had a bit of rain last night, which is greatly needed, but today is sunny once again.

Even with the joy of spring weather to cheer me on, I am still rather lethargic.  I should be gearing up for travels, heck even just spring cleaning.  But I am still mired in some legal matters that are draining.  But the probate lawyer I hired is clarifying the legal demands I need to meet and will be taking over communicating with others about the matter.  So I am telling myself to “Stop It!”  To just get back on track with a fun, productive, beautiful spring.

If you too, have been in the doldrums for whatever reason, just get busy.  If you have not gotten busy on some project or another, just get busy.  If you still have to master those resolutions made a few months ago or if you tried them and have told yourself you have failed, when in reality you just need to start over again, just get busy.  Me?  I am going to start enjoying spring.  I am even taking a trek into Nature over the next several days.

I hope you will have a happy, productive, glorious spring!  Just get busy!

If you need a bit of encouragement, here’s some wise advice from Bob Newhart:

 

DISCLAIMER:  In no way is my posting of this video to be seen as a comment on psychology or even psychologists or psychiatrists.  Heck, some of my best friends are shrinks!  ; )

Spring Is in the Air!

I spent a lot of time this weekend in the LA-area, which means I also spent a lot of time on the road. I typically looked forward to the drive over the Grapevine, but this year the hills and hills of orange poppies were not there yet. I realized they might not make a showing this year, despite all the rain. At first I was rather disappointed at what was not there for me to see. But fortunately I got over that foolishness pretty quickly.

When I let myself view the scenery that was there in front of me, there was much to treasure. The hills are alive with verdant green grasses. White clover and yellow mustard bushes are bright along the roadside and small pockets of lupine are evident here and there. The literal grape vines are also fresh with the lime green of new growth, starting the process that will eventually bring grapes for harvesting. Small blackbirds were darting through the fields, seeking cover or maybe insects as the cars raced by. I also marveled at the clear blue skies and the white puffy clouds that marked the way. It was a gorgeous almost-summer day!

The hawks were even taking flight, playing on the winds that were keeping the drivers alert. They soared and soared, as if they were relishing spring as well. On my next trip down, I vow I will stop at some of the county gardens to see the colors and displays there. From past visits, I know that at the Arboretum, the irises—purple, white, yellow—will be in competition with the strutting peacocks showing off their tails! Fields of tulips and rows of daffodils will be blowing in the breeze at Descanso Gardens.

By the time I got home, I had remembered that Nietzsche was right: “When one has much to put in it, a day has a hundred pockets.” That is one reason I love this time of year—all of Nature’s wonders offer themselves as wondrous pebbles to pick up and tuck away in my pockets to marvel at again later. This weekend’s drive was just the nudge I needed to slow down and really see the glories around me. When I arrived home I marveled at the bushes at my own apartment complex full of lush Apache Roses, the small yellow wild rose that also perches along the Grand Canyon’s south rim. How could I have missed them earlier?

I have new admiration for bees: They never forget to notice when spring has arrived!