make time to enjoy the lilacs
When I was a kid, spring in my little town was not subtle. You knew it was coming. The snowbanks melted into dirty brown mud and you could walk to school without wearing boots. The roads, for the first time in months were bare. For fun, all of the kids in the town would go "jumping creeks". We had a specific creek known as "shit creek (we pronounced it "crick") that we spent many evenings jumping over and trying not to land in it. It was called shit crick for a specific reason....it smelled like sewage and rumor had it that was where all of our toilet contents ended up. Many a romance blossomed along with the springtime and many first dates involved "jumping shit crick".
The spring air smelled so good that it was intoxicating. When I was a kid though, I never realized how good the air smelled because I took it for granted. When I moved to the smoggy Salt Lake Valley I really realized how lucky I was to grow up with such pure air. Actually, to me, the air in my little town always smells good. And at night, the sound of the "peepers" also was a sign of spring heading into summer. It was great to hear that sound - and not the noise of traffic.
Pussy willows were a sign that spring was really here.
My mom had a special little container hanging on the wall by the sink that she refilled every spring with these little branches that required no water and lasted forever. Once after I moved away, my sister sent me some - it was such a nice thoughtful gift. Since then I have seen them here but have never picked them. In grade school we used to sing this song:
Lilacs came into bloom around Memorial Day back in my little town. There were several beautiful lilac trees that I remember. My grandma had some great ones in her yard. This is the only picture I could find of the ones in her yard. My sister was building a "cat house" for the stray cats she fed for years on my grandmas property, long after my grandma and grandpa died. There were also two other places where the lilacs bloomed - one of them on the side of the only service station in town and the other on the property of two elderly women who owned a variety store at one time. Wish I had pictures of them.
I am lucky to have a back yard full of lilacs. In Salt Lake City, they come usually in April and are gone way too fast - like so many things and even people in our life that we take for granted till they are gone.
For many years that I was busy working, I promised myself, even wrote notes to remind me, that next year for sure, I would go out and just sit and smell the beautiful scent of the lilacs. For some of those years, I may not have even noticed their coming and going. I was too busy writing emails, worrying about stuff that never happened and working on work projects that should never have been done at home. I didn't always make time for these simple things. Lilacs would come and go, along with daffodils, and buds on the trees and I would not always notice them.
My mother in law was so wise. Her letters to us were always filled with things she appreciated, like the first robin she saw, and the first snowstorm of the year she enjoyed walking in. She loved nature and the simple things which could bring tears to her eyes when she described it. When someone would say to her, "It's going to be a long day" she would respond, "Oh, so you have more than 24 hours in your day? How did you manage that?"
Now that I am retired I have made up my mind to focus on the things I may have missed - like lilacs. I run in the morning and notice the smells and the contrasting snow covered mountains in the distance instead of hurrying home to head for work. I notice my dog and how he is growing old but still wants to enjoy life and is just as happy with a trot around the park as he was with the ten milers he could do with ease in his youth. Like me, if he doesn't run, he will get stiff. Like me, he groans a little when he gets up and down. Like him I will try to age gracefully and be satisfied with slowing down.
Nothing lasts forever. Not lilacs, not people, not dogs. But we all have time to take notice, and enjoy them while we can. We all have the same 24 hours. So if you are lucky enough to have lilacs in your yard, pick some some and put them on your table. Stick your nose in them. Pull off a little floret and chew it and taste its sweetness.
I am looking forward to the hummingbirds next month.
The spring air smelled so good that it was intoxicating. When I was a kid though, I never realized how good the air smelled because I took it for granted. When I moved to the smoggy Salt Lake Valley I really realized how lucky I was to grow up with such pure air. Actually, to me, the air in my little town always smells good. And at night, the sound of the "peepers" also was a sign of spring heading into summer. It was great to hear that sound - and not the noise of traffic.
Pussy willows were a sign that spring was really here.
 |
| I borrowed this picture from google images. |
I am a pussy willow
with coat of silver grey
I live out in the meadow
Not very far away
Although I am a pussy
I'll never be a cat
I'm a pussy willow
Now what do you think about that?
Meow, meow, meow, meow.......SCAT!
Lilacs came into bloom around Memorial Day back in my little town. There were several beautiful lilac trees that I remember. My grandma had some great ones in her yard. This is the only picture I could find of the ones in her yard. My sister was building a "cat house" for the stray cats she fed for years on my grandmas property, long after my grandma and grandpa died. There were also two other places where the lilacs bloomed - one of them on the side of the only service station in town and the other on the property of two elderly women who owned a variety store at one time. Wish I had pictures of them.
 |
| Barb and Siggie's "cat house" partially completed |
For many years that I was busy working, I promised myself, even wrote notes to remind me, that next year for sure, I would go out and just sit and smell the beautiful scent of the lilacs. For some of those years, I may not have even noticed their coming and going. I was too busy writing emails, worrying about stuff that never happened and working on work projects that should never have been done at home. I didn't always make time for these simple things. Lilacs would come and go, along with daffodils, and buds on the trees and I would not always notice them.
My mother in law was so wise. Her letters to us were always filled with things she appreciated, like the first robin she saw, and the first snowstorm of the year she enjoyed walking in. She loved nature and the simple things which could bring tears to her eyes when she described it. When someone would say to her, "It's going to be a long day" she would respond, "Oh, so you have more than 24 hours in your day? How did you manage that?"
Now that I am retired I have made up my mind to focus on the things I may have missed - like lilacs. I run in the morning and notice the smells and the contrasting snow covered mountains in the distance instead of hurrying home to head for work. I notice my dog and how he is growing old but still wants to enjoy life and is just as happy with a trot around the park as he was with the ten milers he could do with ease in his youth. Like me, if he doesn't run, he will get stiff. Like me, he groans a little when he gets up and down. Like him I will try to age gracefully and be satisfied with slowing down.
 |
| lilacs from our yard |
Nothing lasts forever. Not lilacs, not people, not dogs. But we all have time to take notice, and enjoy them while we can. We all have the same 24 hours. So if you are lucky enough to have lilacs in your yard, pick some some and put them on your table. Stick your nose in them. Pull off a little floret and chew it and taste its sweetness.
I am looking forward to the hummingbirds next month.
 |
| Jack relaxing after his run |
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