With Spring come Pussy Willows

Finally!  Spring has arrived! The trees are half filled in and the tulips, crocuses, daffodils, and hyacinths have all popped out of hibernation. It always feels so much nicer when the surrounding vegetation is back. Green and bright colours looks much nicer against a grey sky than snow.

Yesterday was incredibly nice and I had fortunately planned to meet up with a friend in the city to go on a photography outing. We strolled through our city's largest university campus and found many things to capture. That's when I spotted the planter filled with flowers and pussy willows.

In the past, it was Lillies of the Valley that always made me think of Spring. They were not common in Montreal, but I think it was their perceived rarity (at the time) that made them so special to me. They are also one of the few flowers that truly have a lovely edible aroma. These little white bells propped on green stems often made me think of fairy tales where the fairies would wear them as hats!  Lillies of the Valley are just as common here but it was the Pussy Willow tree that caught my attention.

We had a small willow tree on the property of our first home. Every Spring I would check to see how many Pussy Willows there would be. To my delight, more often than not, the branches were covered with them!  They always amazed me ... the soft furry bulge that would eventually disapear. Pussy Willow is basically a 'given' name for the male catskins that grow on various willow trees.


According to wikipedia - The Pussy Willow is a favourite flower for Chinese New Year because there are numerous blossoms on a branch, the fluffy buds look silky, and the blossoms give forth to young shoots the colour of green jade. They are also used in religious Easter celebrations in lieu of Palm branches which can be difficult to find in some countries.

As a child, I sometimes read this magazine for youth (maybe 'Owl' or 'Chickadee') and once there was a beautiful story about Pussy Willows which were in fact little curled up kittens. I can't remember the details of the story but I do remember the enchanting illustration. From then on, it was easy to imagine little kittens on a branch.  Meow ... prrr prrrrr

The Lilacs are coming ... The Lilacs are coming!

Another rite of Spring ... Lilacs!

My Lilac bush didn't take this delayed Spring to seriously and has been working behind the scenes. I went to check on it today and to my surprise a few of the buds have opened up! Lilacs are another one of my favorite flowers because they announce the arrival of warmer weather.

 My lilac bush happen to be of a lavender colour and each year the bush has more and more flowers. I keep it well trimmed and always make sure to cut off the dead flowers. This apparently helps the bush produce more flowers. I love their smell, try to be reasonable, and only cut off a few. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to drive by a road where they have purple lilacs and, always prepared with bags and a pair of scisors in the car, I park as close as I can and grab a few.

Somehow the purple ones remind me of candy - crunchy candy. But of course they would! I remember my mother buying these tins of small candies that had a flowery aroma to them. The tin was oval shaped, lavender colour, and had tiny lavender coloured flowers on it. Perhaps they were lavender flavoured but somehow Lilac is stuck in my mind.

What I didn't know is there are about twenty to twenty five varieties of this wooden plant that is from the olive family. Does that mean one could have lilac oil? Alas ... not. However, tea can be made from the leaves, flowers, and thin branches. They say that white lilacs are more flavourful and less leaves and branches should be used. Some claim tha thte tea, when drunk in large quantities, can be eupphoric. I think I'll pass on trying the tea - I'd hate to experience an unexpected side effect!

I'll be patient and watch them over the next seven to ten days and hopefully catch them at their prime. I look forward to having a few on my kithchen counter where I can smell them everytime I walk by.

Bleeding Hearts ... a message through a fence?



I was finally able to go outside today! The rain has stopped and the skies were less grey after having 6 days of continuous cloud and rain. I can't tell you how happy I am to be able to leave the back door open. I can hear the birds, smell the fresh air, and look at the work that's ahead of me!

Unlike me, nature didn't stop while I hid out this weather. The grass is thicker, greener, and longer; the trees filled in; the dandelions managed to come up;  and there is much work ahead. I noticed these flowers peeking through the fence into my yard as I surveyed and estimated my upcoming chores. All I could see was little blobs of pink and realized, as I approached, that it was a branch of bleeding hearts. I used to have bleeding hearts when I lived in the 'yellow' house. Lovely delicate flowers shaped like a heart that hang off a branch and sway with the breeze. It was a welcomed surprise to have one sneak in from the neighbour's flower bed.

Was this a message? Something about my own bleeding heart? It's such a nice day - why think of things that may disrupt it? I suppose that my heart was bleeding at some point and that I've put a stopper on it. The problem is that the stopper is so large that it really doesn't leave room for anything else to get next to my heart. There is no point in over analyzing this but it does merit some attention. In a way, a bleeding heart is good because it calls for stillness and promotes interest and activities in areas that would have been neglected, but as this flower insinuates, there is no point in forgetting your heart either. What is life without a full functioning heart?

What stories do your trees hold?

Once the weather is warm enough, we often sit on the deck below the tree branches. It is the perfect spot in our backyard! We have a few hours of sunshine in the mornings and then we are protected from the rays.

What do we do? Like most people we eat meals and entertain there but we also play card or dice games, or simply sit around and chat. It's been a favorite spot for my daughter's friends when they were just in the mood to chill, drink a few beers, and strum their guitars.

I'm sure these trees have heard many stories, from my family and from prior families that have lived here. It's a good thing that they can't talk!

Sad and happy stories escape people's mouths and fall upon the trees' ears. Like soldiers, protecting us from uninvited listeners, they stand on guard untouched by our joy or pain.

Or are they? Perhaps the trees do weep with us and laugh with us and we simply can't discern it?

I like to think of my trees as happy trees and every year I decorate them with Mardi Gras beads. The array of colours and their brilliancy adds a festive and playful atmosphere to our space.

It makes it feel happy even when times are not so good in the hopes that happiness can come from outside even though we know it must come from within. It's a reminder of the sparkle of life that is always there ... even in dark moments.

Sometimes progress isn't so progressive

We are all too familiar with progress. In fact, I think many of us have an ambiguous relationship with it. On one hand it has helped mankind by changing, enhancing, and modernizing what is familiar and on the  other hand it has taken away the familiar that we are attached to.

I have always been attracted to the old town charm of my town, and it's what makes it so special to me. I understand that people want nice large modern homes but I find it difficult to accept when they are built within the older areas and round up changing the landscape in an unflatering way. Some people build what I consider 'appropriate' homes and others build 'monster' homes as they take advantage and even push all our bylaws. It's not for me to judge since it is the town that is allowing these changes but it does influence how I feel about my town and whether I will remain here.

A sad example of our progress is this beautiful huge magnolia tree that will most likely be torn down. It's located west of the 'trendy' downtown and is part of the older area that was less affluent. People have been buying homes and either demolishing or refacing them over the last few years.  Businesses have also rebuilt storefronts and we now have more 'trendy' stores to visit even though this new area seems to lack some charm. This tree happens to be located on the property where old stores have been sold in order to build new stores.

This magnolia tree has been there since who knows when and it's always been a cherished sight for me. I remember the first time I drove by. Its mere size was a sight to see let alone that it was covered in flowers. Since then, Every spring I make a point to drive by and admire its beauty. By themselves, magnolia trees are simply breathtaking. There is a certain 'lightness' that emmanates from a magnolia tree. They simply stand out, covered in white, pink, or fushia flowers that look like birds' wings, as they confirm Spring's arrival. Unfortunately, the flowers don't last very long and are often a nuisance once they fall on the ground. It's a small price to pay when you consider what you are getting in return. So, as to progress ... Spring just won't be the same next year...