Spring Festival

              There's a small town in the southern part of our state, 

approx 2 hours from where I live. 

Charleston, MO.

 

I'm not sure which came first ...

the founding fathers 

(and most likely mothers who are, after all, 

usually the gardeners in a family) 

noticing that the town was filled with native dogwoods and azaleas 

and it deserved to be celebrated  

OR

the town decided 70 years ago to fill the town with flowering spring trees

so they'd have something to celebrate after surviving harsh winters

before heading into even harsher summers.                 

Whichever way it occurred, I'm grateful for their foresight.
                      

Dogwoods and Azaleas -

what a GREAT combination -

and an absolutely lovely way to spend some hours this past week.

 

The 53rd Annual Dogwood and Azalea Festival started this weekend 

and will continue through next week.

Of course there were extraordinary houses as would befit the towns most affluent citizens

but there was beauty to be found in every house, no matter how humble.

This bungalow was my favorite!

Color me ready to move in!

It was a delight.

I would recommend finding those oases of beauty in your area

and giving yourself the gift of dwelling there,

if only for a few hours.

Spring Fling

 Isolation during the winter has created such a strong desire 

to see the earth 'open up' again -

and Mother Nature has delightfully obliged.

A recent trip to Shaw Nature Preserve did wonders for my spirits;

with multiple reminders that spring is indeed on its way.

 Thousands of naturalized daffodils can cheer up any day.

Two recent falls, 

the last one down some basement steps,

has created new problems with mobility

which will be further defined by an MRI later this week.

Since I'm essentially non weight bearing status - 

well, as much as is humanly possible when you live alone,

I've taken comfort in having decorated the house for spring already 

which means I can sit - 

and everywhere I look there's something to cheer me up.

I was delighted these beauties were within walking distance of my house -

although I didn't walk, 

I drove past them on my way to the grocery store for pain medicine

and took photos from the car.

How lucky was I, right?

Enjoy spring wherever you are - 

and stay upright, if you can! 

It just makes things easier.

When a whim turns into tradition

If you've been following this page for any length of time, 

you're probably aware that every Lenten season,

just as winter seems to drag on and on,

one of the harbingers of spring for my family

was the arrival in the stores of bright yellow:

favorite flowers (daffodils)

AND bright yellow candy 

known as PEEPS. 

 

Bright yellow in the midst of midwinter dreary gray

always bring me joy.

 

I'm not even sure what the appeal was about the Peeps;

it's actually just a bedazzled marshmallow;

but I'm here to tell you that 8 years ago,

when I was getting more serious about photography -

and actually caring about focus, depth and light readings,

Peeps were the perfect 'models'.

 

They rarely moved, 

you could put them in all sorts of situations and not hear any complaints

and they could be frozen, taken out and re-used 

so they were available whenever inspiration struck.

I photographed PEEPS in various situations 

in ways that generally have revealed 

my bizarre sense of humor.

Oddly enough, when I posted them on Facebook,

they were enjoyed by friends who share the same humor -

born from working on the front lines of child abuse.

 

It was a wonderful after work outlet 

and I looked forward to it every year.

(here and here and here)

One year, I even branched out and did 'Lenten' peeps 

at Christmas time -

(here)

but, for some friends that was a bridge too far,

so I re-committed to Lent -

40 days of concentrated sugar madness.

However, with all the changes in the world this past year,

and in my life in particular,

I hadn't even thought of doing Lenten Peeps 

until Lent was upon us -

and I received an inquiry from a friend on Facebook 

asking me where they were.

Essentially saying I wasn't up for it was not well received.

 

My people pleasing side kicked into gear,

the ideas started coming

and when I went to Dollar Tree for solar light sticks,

there were Peeps, right at the checkout!

SO, without further ado, here are some Pandemic Peeps.

Hope you're enjoying the coming of spring as much as I am.

Happy Lent!