I like flowers. No, I don’t like to press them. I just like to look at them. And this is the time of year there are many around to look at.
I love throwing open the back door, stepping out and taking a big deep breath. Then coming back in, taking some antihistamines and waiting for them to kick in. Once my nose clears… then I can go out, take a deep breath and smell the glory that is the nearby lilac bush. It was probably one of the many things clogging my sinuses in the first place, but it can’t stop me from smelling it. I have my ways.
Although our lilac bush has a maple tree growing up through it. I asked my wife the other day, why is there a maple tree in the lilac. She reached down and grabbed a handful of the thousand of maple seeds that have been helicoptering around the yard lately and just said, “Gee. I don’t know.” Me taking one of those maple seeds, snapping it in half, opening the fat end and sticking it on my nose like we did as kids probably did nothing to further the conversation, but some times you just have to stick a maple seed on your nose. Or at least I do.
But there are flowers that I do like to visit each year around this time. For a while, I wasn’t sure we would be able to. There were barricades in the way because of the fire hazard. Thankfully, we got enough rain and the barricades are gone.
Each year around this time I have to take a walk or two or maybe even three through Pine Grove Park in Milton. It really is a wonder as the rhododendrons come into bloom.
In the past, people took the time to plant many different rhododendrons under the mature pine trees in the park. It really makes a walk in the park quite special. You never know what colour may pop out at you next, as there are many rhododendrons around in turn in the trail, and the colours are spectacular.
I know there are other places around the area that also make for a nice evening walk this time of year. Thankfully we got enough rain to allow us to enjoy them.