Spring again
"Set wide the window. Let me drink the day." –-Edith Wharton
A few days ago, I visited two historic homes in Hartford, Connecticut, with my friend Adrienne. A couple of years ago we visited and toured the Emily Dickinson house in Amherst, Massachusetts together. This week we visited the Harriet Beecher Stowe House as well as Mark Twain’s house. We really like this sort of thing, visiting the homes of literary legends. We are waiting until the weather turns warmer to visit Edith Wharton’s house in Western Massachusetts. We’re holding off on that one because we hear the gardens are grand.
I have, in the past, appreciated Wharton’s writing, so thinking about her work brought the above quote to mind. It is not yet warm enough to open the windows in my home in Vermont, but I can dream. And tomorrow I will fly to a place where I WILL be able to open windows to warm air, for a week. When I return home, spring will be around the corner—maybe.
I photographed some bright purple crocuses in the yard outside of those houses in Connecticut on Thursday. Adrienne’s and my excitement over these small purple flowers was significant. I have some pink and white tulips in my dining room now, purchased at my local food coop, flown in my points south, of course. When I return home from the Gulf Coast of Florida, I will force some forsythia branches in my living room, something I do every year, as I await outdoor blooms. I hope to miss at least part of mud season. The frost was deep this year, as there was some very cold weather before deep snow arrived. It will be muddy—a fair price to pay for beautiful, cold winters and the coming of spring.
I love the hopefulness I feel this time of year. I have been reading a lot of bad news and a lot of commentary on it. I cope with that by making calls to U.S. Congress members, marching, and welcoming seasonal change with hope. What are you doing to keep your spirits up during these scary times?
Thanks, Ann. A breath of fresh air.