Elegant Gems of Early Spring

Snowdrops came into my life some years ago when my husband presented me with a bouquet of the exotic looking blooms. A man he worked with knew of my interest in gardening and had thoughtfully left the stems attached to the root-bulb so I could plant them.

I had never seen such flowers before–drooping yet cheerful elongated ivory pendants sporting bright spring-green trim, shadowed by delicate ivory wings.These jewels of nature were suspended on gracefully arched, slender stems, accented by tall narrow ribbon-like leaves.

Since that day, snowdrops have graced my garden each spring, sticking their heads up through the mulch of last season’s leaves even earlier than the tiny, colorful snow crocus, clowns of the springtime garden. They are relatively carefree plants, growing larger when fertilized, but surviving through seasons of neglect. Unlike many bulbs, they seem to escape becoming food for hungry rodents.

Some years they’re here by this time, but I believe it’s been awhile since we’ve seen a February spring. I’ll keep an eye out for their arrival, but won’t hold my breath until March. Early or late, the appearance of these debut debutantes of the spring celebration is always an enchanting event.

Marvelous Men of Snow

Posted on February 6, 2015

I stared out the window of the small store where I work (no best-sellers yet so I must keep my day job. It was several weeks ago, and I looked upon wall to wall snow, as I have for most of the year so far.

Suddenly several children exited the small mid-century Gothic style home across the street. They were of stair-step ages, and the trio proceeded to roll balls of snow, the sizes corresponding with the height of each child. The tallest girl piled the balls on top of each other. Thus a snowman was born. Soon he sported a jaunty carrot nose, eyes of stone, and mouth of stick. A colorful scarf was draped about his neck.

I was touched by this display of traditional sibling camaraderie, as they performed a seemingly dated pastime. I was so glad they took time away from computer games to enjoy the fresh chill afternoon, and to bring a breath of fresh air into my life as well.

Since that day, it seems my winter has been filled with snowmen of one sort or another. It often seems that when we take special note of something, that thing becomes drawn to us or we to it, however the ways of the world may work? Maybe something like the marvels of Facebook, my latest discovery. Subjects we show interest in begin to fill our homepage or our real life days from newly discovered sources.

One of the most inspiring encounters with snowmen was indeed a post on my Facebook page, from a friend in Maine. The picture showed an entire field of small snowmen with varied expressions. A news video shared the saga of an unemployed man in Illinois who had spent the winter making them. Unfortunately, he is currently being evicted from the home he had shared with a friend who is now deceased.

What a wonderful demonstration of the power of giving whimsy a prominent place in our lives. I like to think that I share an appreciation for the simple, special aspects of life as I endure trying times. But I know I would never have the strength of character to produce a field of snowmen while facing eviction in the middle of winter. It is those of us who maintain a childlike character who remain truly happy throughout life.

I was prompted to record these thoughts this morning as a large snowman smiled at me from the feature photograph on the front page of our town’s newspaper, seeming to send me a message. For whatever reason, there seem to be more snowmen in my area this winter than there have been for sometime, maybe because we need them more.

Posting by Penny Mason

Presenting The Penny Mason Post . . . A blog for better living.

I’m a firm believer that vintage values combined with futuristic innovative ideas can make the present much more perfect.

Old-school is way cool.

My passions include cozy mysteries, both reading and in recent times, writing them, pet training, gardening, and finding secrets of family history.

Occasionally I like to visit a flea market and share my fun finds and the story behind the items with others who appreciate quality design that stands the test of time.

I’m always considering ways to make the world a better place for one and all. Since there are so many opinions on that topic I’ll try to keep my most radical ideas regarding controversial topics to myself as I want the spirit of this blog to be inspirational and fun.

Thanks so much for stopping by. I hope you’ll visit again soon, or better yet subscribe. Stay tuned for updates on the progress of my mystery manuscript, and please feel free to connect with me on The Penny Mason Publications webpage, and social media sites. Don’t forget to invite your friends. The more the merrier.

Posting by Author Penny Mason