Wildflower Season

Bluebonnet fair, in your Sunday best,
Lily-white hat and indigo vest,
Onlookers flock from far away towns,
Marveling at your blossomy gown.

My husband and I caught the last of this spring’s bluebonnets down in Ennis, Texas over the weekend. Though the heat had turned many of them to seed, there were several fields covered from top to bottom with what remained of the fading blue beauties.

We were told the best time of year to see them in their full brilliance is late March to early April, but even at a week and a half out of season there were still large patches of pink primrose intermingled with red blanket flowers and Texas paintbrushes.

If you enjoy scenic drives through rolling hills, springtime in north and central Texas, the latter often referred to as hill country, will not disappoint.

The Elm and The Scissor-tail

Oh, warbling one with dainty wings and graceful scissor-tail,

Come rest among my leafy den away from April’s gale.

And if by chance you like it here I hope you’ll feel inclined,

To make your home within my bows veiled by the timberline.

Four scissor-tailed flycatchers chased each other around my elm tree this morning. They were easy to spot with their soft melon colored bellies and uniquely split tails. Hearing their beautiful songs to each other was a gentle reminder of how quickly seasons change. The stillness of winter is gone, and the liveliness of spring has arrived.

There’s something hopeful about the perpetual cycle of life—the setbacks we experience that we eventually overcome, the generations before us that handed us a baton to pass to those who will come after us, the victories we celebrate along the way as we press forward and move ahead. In the grand scheme of things, I feel very small. Thankfully none of us are without purpose.