special occasions
today is sort of a holiday in our household. tax day. the end of a short, very intense season for my tax preparer husband. we’re not very good about special occasions, as it turns out. we don’t do much for birthdays or christmas, to say nothing of the holidays like valentines day and mothers day, manufactured by the national retail federation. if we were good at special occasions, we would probably go out to eat and order champagne and martinis tonight, but instead we’re going to build a fire and open a bottle of southern french wine, because what we’ve really been craving for the last 11 weeks is not a blow-out celebration, but a resumption of a satisfying routine. it sounds boring. but the thought fills me with an electric thrill.

(unidentified) flowering spring shrub

wordless
there are only so many things you can say about vine tendrils. i have a feeling that my words to describe my love for them will run out long before my eyes tire of looking at them. there may be some wordless vine tendril posts in your future.

vine tendrils

languedoc and minnesota

there used to be quince trees scattered across the united states. when you settled a new area you grew a garden and like as not, you planted a quince tree, because quince are full of pectin, and you need pectin for jams and jellies and pies. then in 1913 somebody patented commercial pectin derived from the apple pomace left over from apple pressing, and quince trees were gradually ignored, abandoned, or cut down. i don’t necessarily want to wait for a quince tree to mature before i make my next strawberry jam or freeform rustic apple tart, yet it feels as if something has been lost in the absence of the quince tree in the back yard, that gave such beautiful blossoms in the spring, and promised such sweet pleasure to be stored in the larder all fall and winter.

quince blossoms

i tried photographing this arrangement about 8 different ways and then suddenly from this angle, the flower in the foreground looked like a curious little busybody, leaning forward to investigate his surroundings, and i decided i liked him. then i saw the stiff disapproving look on the face of the flower in the background, and decided i liked mr. curiosity even more.

scilla (siberian squill)

turtle lake, shoreview, minnesota

today a friend called and said, with all appropriate urgency, that her magnolia was in bloom. some people understand the important things.

pink magnolia blossoms

minneapolis, minnesota