Hmm, I’m kind of thinking that flowers are more like a gift to a garden rather than them giving gifts to a garden… Or maybe that’s what Donovan meant by this? I have no idea…

Spring is probably my favorite of all the seasons (with fall coming in a close second). Every year, when spring arrives, I begin to feel this sense of renewal within myself. It’s almost as if, for that time, I’m tied to and in tune with the Earth, if only for a short time. I know, that sounds hippie-dippy, doesn’t it? But remember (from my baby picture from an earlier post), I was apparently born a hippie. Babies don’t make peace signs for their hospital pictures! Anyway, I’ve spoken to my uncle, who was born in the same month as me (I’m the beginning of April and he’s at the end) and he’s said the same thing. He feels a sense of renewal every spring. So either this is a thing only April babies experience or we’re both hippies. Weird thing is, back in the day, he wasn’t a hippie. He was a husband, father and had a respectable job. And short hair…

Years ago, I had gotten some young lilac bushes from a friend. I love lilacs… They’re my favorite flower and have been all my life. I have a postage stamp yard, but, damn it, I was going to have my lilacs! I planted them all down the fence line, but this was the only one to survive. It even survived the trunk splitting during a wind storm! Isn’t it beautiful…? Look at all the flowers! I haven’t had a yield like this in years!

The down side… They should have been in full bloom by Mother’s Day, as they always are, but with the odd weather we’ve had, they just didn’t want to open fully. They normally look a bit later than others because they don’t get as much sun, but that’s okay. Still, I was getting concerned they weren’t going to bloom fully and die off because of the up and down temperatures.

Two days ago, it was nice and relatively warm out, so I went to check on them. Still not fully bloomed, but a good amount of the flowers were open, so I said “fuck it and decided to cut a few…

I should know myself better than that… As soon as I cut a few, I see a monstrous beauty and decide I need that one as well because it’s just too beautiful to stay on the bush. Then I see another and another… Next thing you know, I’m walking back in the house with a shit ton of lilacs! Sadly, it didn’t stop there…

This vase was the first that I jam-packed full of lilacs. Then I got out the other vase and there just weren’t enough, so I had to go cut more to fill it out, right…? I had to reason with myself, there…

So now my whole house smells so lovely… But I pay the price for that. Yesterday I spent the entire day all stuffed up, sneezing and wheezing. Allergy pills can’t fight lilacs. Of course, it’s my own fault. The first thing I did before I cut and was bury my face in them and take a huge sniff, declaring to the stray cat living in the yard, “Don’t they smell lovely…?” with the biggest smile on my face. While I was cutting some, that song, “Wear Your Love Like Heaven” kept running through my head and I felt so relaxed and happy and was sporting the biggest, most content smile ever. Lilacs are like ambrosia to me (not my sinuses).

I know, it really makes me sound hippy-dippy… But gardening is something I grew up with. My great aunt had a garden and grew every vegetable and flower imaginable. I always helped her tend things. I also inherited her green thumb and love of taking care of injured wild animals… My uncles also used to drag home wild animals. I’m sure my mother was not pleased I turned out like them, hahahaa!

I may not seem like the type, but that’s how I grew up. I was a tom-boy hippie. And I still am to this day. I still wear bell-bottom jeans and pants, my clothes don’t necessarily have to match perfect… I make up my own style. That’s the artist in me, I suppose. But I’m still a flower child. I love to wear flowers in my hair! But again, the downside is paying for all this with sneezing and wheezing. But it’s all well worth the effort!