Spring is on its way…a Very Pink Saturday with a Pretty in Pink Poem

  While the bare pecan trees along the river bottom patiently wait for the arrival of spring,

other trees are singing songs of growth and renewal.  I guess the peach trees missed out on the groundhog’s prediction of six more weeks of winter. They are dressed for the sunny warm days to come…

I found a poem by American poet Bayard Taylor (1825-1878) that captures that impatience…

Peach Blossom  

                             by Bayard Taylor

The wands of the peach tree first

Into rosy beauty burst;

A breath, and the sweet buds ope!

A day, and the orchards bare,

Like maids in haste to be fair.

Lightly themselves adorn

With a scarf the Spring at the door

Has sportingly flung before…

 

And with that celebration of the rebirth and renewal in mind, I send you off to visit the “Queen of all things Pink”, Beverly at How Sweet the Sound to see who is posting special pinkness today. Hope your week is Pink from start to finish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

by Bayard Taylor

Pink Saturday soaking in Beautiful Rain

We are so happy this Pink Saturday…it’s raining bucketsful. The turkey roaster birdfeeder was filling up with water so Hubby moved it to the patio. He put it on a little side table unsure if the birds would come to an unfamiliar location …

First a male Cardinal came for sunflower seeds…

Then a cute little Titmouse perched on the edge and started munching on seeds. He grabs one then flies up into the tree to open it.

This female Cardinal and a red headed Sparrow landed below to pick up the seeds that had been scattered on the patio. They don’t seem to mind the rain and it certainly didn’t affect their appetites!  Next month they’ll be building nests and laying eggs.  Then we’ll be adding an extra scoop of birdseed and more sunflower seeds to help them feed their chirping little mouths.

For now we’re enjoying the rain that will get the earth ready for spring. The Lantana behind the garage have survived the winter and are still blooming beautifully. The native plants out in the open parts of the lawn have frozen back and will need to be trimmed back next month.

I’ll wait to trim these back until things are blooming in other places around the yard. That way the early butterflies will have food in the first couple of months of spring.

Native Lantana plants make juicy berries that birds enjoy and so they are common along fence lines where our feathered friends deposit them. After this rain, we can expect lots more to show up in fields and roadsides this summer. This bright purple variety is a hybrid that does not produce berries. If it were not next to a wall, it would not look like this in February.

So my Pink this week is in the form of red and purple in actual color, but very Pink in spirit. Now for a beautiful dose of Pink, head on over to Beverly at How Sweet the Sound   http://howsweetthesound.typepad.com/ to see who is sharing this Saturday. Hope your week is Pink and your spring comes soon.

First Tiny Bloom of Spring

Last spring on a New Braunfels, Texas, Historic Homes tour, we admired some naturalized white flowers in the lawns of many of the historic homes.

They look like wild onion  or snowdrift…

They are all over lawns in the old parts of town in the spring.  Next door to one of the homes, we visited with a kindly man who was out gardening. We talked about the little mystery bulb and he offered me a start. Before I could politely decline, he had a shovel out and he was loading a box with several nice clumps. Needless to say, I was thrilled.  Well, miracle of miracles, they survived the drought of last summer and the deer have left them alone…so…here is my first tiny flower.

Not much to brag about yet, but it’s only February! I know it will take years until I have  stands like the old homes, but I’m really excited about my little group. Later in the spring, I hope to post again with more flowers…I didn’t try to count the buds because I’m superstitious about counting my chickens before they hatch.

I’m late posting today and not showing valentines…if I have a chance on Tuesday, maybe I’ll make the rounds of Pink Saturday posts that Beverly has gathered at How Sweet the Sound. Hope your Valentine’s Day is lovely and your week is Pink.