Lilacs. I decided long ago that lilacs are my favorite flower. The two different shades of purple and the classic white that they come in are a pleasure to look at. Purple is my favorite color, so perhaps I’m a little biased about that!
The scent of lilacs always takes me to early spring. Watching the grass green up, leaves budding on trees. Other early flowers, violets, crocus, hyacinth, my second favorite! Everything is fresh, new, reborn. The robins return and I find the pretty blue eggshells here and there on my daily walk. I collect them in an abandoned nest I found.
The weather temperatures leave a lot to be desired in spring, but I know the hot summer is always just around the corner after the ups and downs of spring in the midwest!
I often wonder why this area is called the Midwest. I mean, we aren’t anywhere near California! It seems like other states would be closer to the middle of the country. Not Indiana. I am from Michigan and it is also considered the Midwest. I think that’s very strange. My home state is surrounded by lakes, nowhere near the west, not even in the middle of the country!
Michigan is on Eastern time. Most of Indiana is too. That’s a whole different topic! The time zones! Throw the pros and cons of Daylight Savings Time in and that’s also another conversation! I personally think DST is stupid. The sun rises about 6:15 right now and it comes earlier and earlier every day through summer. I know this, because I walk my dog every single day around 6, or a little after. I start out with my headlamp on, but not even halfway through my walk, I shut it off, because the sun is UP! The birds are up well before the sun is, but they know too, it’s gonna be daylight by 6:30.
So tell me, what is the point of daylight til 10pm? Really? Isn’t 6:15 early enough for the sun? Why does it need to be shining in my bedroom window at 10pm too? Please, let the sun come up and go down on its own time! Please, let us all be in one time zone!
I digress! This writing was to be about the delicate lilac. Its life span is short every spring. Two weeks maximum here in my corner. This year, we had a lovely snow that killed almost all the lilacs I see on my walk. The neighboring house has about 7 trees. The blossoms never opened. They are there, just hanging down, defeated. Unopened. There is a nice tree by the post office that bloomed last week. Sadly, the blossoms are turning brown and falling off already. I stop and smell them every morning. Joe seems to enjoy them too, so that’s nice. I’m sure he won’t understand when I don’t stop anymore in a few days. The blooms will be done until next spring.
Lilacs make me smile and I love to see them each spring. Time moves so quickly, so enjoy those blossoms when you see them!