Spring!!

Hope your Earth Day was a happy one! I confess that I didn't remember it until I checked my email, and so I had nothing prepared... but once I realized what day it was, my heart started singing. Each time I took the dog out, I was struck anew by the sheer beauty of this green planet, and celebrated it in my heart.

All my life I have longed for that most elusive and desired flower, violets. Growing up in the desert they were nowhere to be found; they simply cannot survive the desert climate. Even Johnny Jump-Ups cannot survive more than a few precious weeks. Real violets were simply nowhere to be found, except in the pages of storybooks.

On Earth Day walking the dog, I was struck by the softness of the day, by the beauty of the redbud trees against the green of others already leafing out and the softly brilliant blue of the sky, by the stunning golden abundance of multi-petaled dandelions.... by the sweet floral perfume of the... of the.... *eyes round as saucers* violets!!! There, growing as nothing more another ubiquitous weed, mixed in their tiny perfection all around and within the dandelions, sure to be mowed away this weekend---violets!

It was the sweetest Earth Day present I have ever received. *heart singing* I confess, I didn't expect Earth Herself to be celebrating Earth Day by giving US presents... but there you have it, She does and She did!

And then the last time I walked Lady, deep into the night, I realized that all the signs of Autumn which lingered far into Winter and early Spring are now gone. It is quietly yet undisputably Spring now; no more fallen leaves blowing down the street, no more chill in the air, no more ghostly branches in the moonlight--just softly cool balmy beauty, filled to overflowing with new life.

It was the most beautiful Earth Day I have ever had.

The next day it rained all day and that was wonderful too, although it caught me completely off guard. As a matter of fact, I had been about to put away the towel we dry the dog's feet with after her walks, because yanno... it's Spring now, so surely the rain is over for the season? Boy, was I chagrined to realize I was thinking Desert-Think again, lol... Spring in Wichita IS the rainy season! April showers and all that... it isn't only robins coming back with the Spring that turned out to be a Real True Thing, lol, it's also April showers! Now I cannot wait to see if there really are May flowers!