SASSY SPRING

It's raining!  Since it's still March (can I yell that to Mother Nature?  IT'S STILL MARCH!), and I repeat, since it's still March does that mean April Showers Bring May Flowers has started early?  Seems that way.  But then again we live in Indiana where any-weather goes!

On St. Patrick's Day we had sneaky snow.  I saw one flake but it didn't seem the weather for snow so I thought "ash from the chimney" or maybe "white silk from the dogwood tree" or even an aphid or whitefly, but never did I think snow.  That is, I didn't think snow until I looked at my silver truck which was covered in the white fluffy stuff!

SPRING!  I'm ready for SPRING!  Bring on SPRING!  SPRING, come to me!

Mary called last evening.  She said,  "I've bought tiger Lillies.  It's time for us to plant some bulbs."  Actually, we do this in remembrance of Mitch who passed away on St. Patty's Day.  So, today, I need to buy bulbs.  I was putting it off because of the rain...I mean snow, LOL.

What do you look forward to in the Spring?  The smell of hyacinths, so sweet, earthy, and pungent?  The sound of newborns, kids bleating on the farm, or mother birds chirping to the call of their young?  The feel of pussy willows or roses, soft and rough at the same time?  The taste of sassafras, much like a strong root beer or some root beer barrel candy?  

Ah, the sights and sounds of Spring, almost makes me bounce out of my seat to do a cartwheel!  NOT!  Never have I been able to do a cartwheel.  At this age, I'm lucky to bend at the hips without saying, "Ouch!"  

But, I can take a walk.  My foot is almost completely healed, thank the Good Lord.  And yesterday Calvin and I took a walk for a few blocks near his house while watching the neighbors white dog bounce and pounce behind his master who was heading to his little beige shed.  We saw true green daffodils poking their first buds out of the ground; they were stuck amongst the un-raked leaves left to decompose from autumn's fall.  And we heard the joyous voices of kids playing in the school's east playground. 

Then once we got to the town of Pendleton, we walked again -- all along Main Street. We checked out Three Monkeys, a child's clothes consignment shop.  Isn't that a fun name, Three Monkeys?  Makes ya think of rambunctiousness and shenanigans.  We passed Quack Daddy's Donut Shop (boo-hoo, sadness that we passed, I love donuts) to visit B'Dazzeled Boutique where we were on the hunt for a garment for daughter-in-law who's expecting again, our second grand baby, yay!  And finally reaching our walking destination Treasures Old and New, a large meandering shop full of antiques, artwork, old fashioned candy, and nostalgia.

Calvin had never seen candy cigarettes before, so he purchased some with which to tease his coworkers.  The store had rock candy on a stick, Buns in maple flavor, cow tales, and many vintage sweets.  

The sight of old candies takes me back to root beer, back to sassafras, back to spring.  Dad used to go into the woods in the spring then come back with pieces of sassafras root and then he'd boil it, offering up sassafras tea to all who came around.  After he passed, we found he had a great big piece of root, as big as a step stool, in the barn.  It's my own treasure of old.  I'm sure to break off some each year to boil for tea.  

Some year I'll share my old treasure with my new treasure, the future grand baby.  

We'll clip some redbuds for our hair and have a sassy tea party in the Spring!  After the rain, of course!