One day I wear shorts and have my air conditioner on about 68 degrees. The next day I am sitting in front of a blazing fire with my fuzzy house shoes.
The news media reported that Punxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow and it has nearly been three weeks since that prediction, so come on Spring!
My daffodils have been blooming for at least two weeks now and the green grass is beginning to come up in our pastures and I can just SMELL spring.
Of course, mostly all my ‘last year’ flowerpots look as if they have been sprayed with Round-Up as the dead flowers fall over the sides of all the pretty colorful pots.
My herbs are beginning to come up and turn green and wild onions and weeds are aplenty. Spring has to be very close.
I wish I could go back up into Montgomery County where my grandmother’s old house place sits but the trees and vines have taken over the land and it is just impassable now.
If I could find the old place and I could find the old ever-flowing spring from where she carried water so many years ago, I know the persimmon tree would be blooming.
That is how we always judged spring’s arrival. That and the row of “butter and egg” daffodils that grew and bloomed all over the hillside in front of her old house.
I remember my granddaddy dropping the old wooden bucket into the deep well in her front yard and pulling up the most refreshing water as we drank from the old community aluminum dipper.
If possible, I believe I miss that place more this time of year than any other.
As we pulled up to her house, you could hear her saying, “Jessie, is that the kids?” Then she would kiss my forehead and he would kiss my hand.
As I age, with grace I hope, I try to every day give my grandchildren something, some treasured memory of me that they will someday talk about and remember me in the same way.
I try to spend as much time as I can with them and go to different places and events with them as allowed.
The trip to New York City last year with two of them is a memory that they will never forget, and neither will I.
I have a couple of grandsons who text me every night just to say goodnight and tell me that they love me. How marvelous is that? One of them even adds “muah” before he signs off.
We love roasted vegetables and with spring coming, I am sure, there will be plenty vegetables.
Roasted vegetables
2 cups broccoli florets
2 cups chopped squash
1 zucchini quartered
1 bell pepper chopped
1 red onion chopped
3-4 T. olive oil
4 cloves minced garlic
salt and pepper
Mix and toss well and spread onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and bake at 425 degrees for about 15 minutes.
