After breakfast this past Sunday we stopped by the National Arboretum. We hadn't planned on it but we were in the neighborhood and the sky was so blue and the sun was shining and why not? I'm ashamed to admit that sometimes I forget about the Arboretum which I'm promising to never do again. It is a true treasure in the city and if you haven't been there yet or lately please do yourself a favor and GO! Right now the magnolia trees, forsythia and other flowering trees are in full bloom. The spring bulbs like daffodils, crocus and hyacinth add bright colors throughout the park. And in the Asian Collection the camellias are starting to show color and the hellebores are hanging their beautiful heads above the ground. I could've stayed all day but it was naptime for the kiddo... Until the next time please enjoy a few photos from our fun family outing!
why uncloudy?
There's an old gospel song by Willie Nelson called "Uncloudy Day" that instantly puts me in a good mood. I heard the song for the first time in passing but it stuck with me. I found myself humming it and thinking about it at the most random times. In hindsight they really weren't random times, they were times when I wanted to be somewhere else, doing something else, being someone else... So I searched it out and put in on my "theme song" mix. This was pre-iPod, long before smart phones. It may have even been on a cassette tape (am I dating myself?). The point is, it made me feel better. It inspired me. It made me sing, it made me turn the volume up and roll down the window. It made me certain that there were better times ahead, that there was a place in my future that was "uncloudy" and that I was going to get there. And I am, I'm getting there. In fact, I must say I'm closer than I've ever been.
wistful for my wisteria
A few years ago, after living in small city apartments, my husband and I bought a rowhouse with a tiny but existent outdoor space. I was in heaven! We immediately set to work putting in a small slate patio and tilling the dirt and clay and weeds that were serving as a backyard. We finally had a little plot of land with grass to call our own. Every spring we take an afternoon and drive to Homestead Gardens to add a few potted friends to our family. That first spring I had to have wisteria. I have been in love with this dramatic vine my whole life with its delicate twisting tendrils and gorgeous draping purple blossoms. It is romance in plant form. And during these bitter cold winter days I find myself staring wistfully out the window and dreaming of my wisteria.