Spring comes ever-so-slowly up north: even more so this year. Their winter was hard, as it was for most of the country. For all the years I have been up there, to pick up Katy from college, visit her and Tom when they started their life together, and now Kezzie, it is always rewarding to travel up to Minnesota in May and to catch the pieces of springtime that have already started to fade here.
The trees still had that newly minted greenness to them and the peepers and bullfrogs, now quiet here on the cutoff, were in full chorus as we walked along a wooded path and small patch of sunshine in an otherwise gloomy day brought turtles out to sun on logs and fallen branches.
Back at Katy and Tom’s, with the grill warming up, we took some time to enjoy the lilacs just coming into full bloom . . .
. . . and I was reminded again how fast a year goes,
and how quickly a baby grows.
How lovely – a second spring! And Kezzie is part of it, with her sweet presence.
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Thank you, Juliet. It was fun and, as you know, children grow so quickly.
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Beautiful photos Penny! It doesn’t seem that long ago that you were announcing Kezzie’s birth and now look at the toddler she has become!
Speaking of turtles sunning themselves. If you’ve been to the Arboretum in the last couple of weeks you’ve seen the new art installations there. If not, there is one work by a Greek artist that is in the lake right outside the visitor’s center. It’s a path made of slices of a tree that goes from the shore out towards the middle of the lake. I was there yesterday and saw that the turtles had turned this work of art into a “Happening” by crawling up on to the logs and sunning themselves! They must be happy for the new platforms!
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Thank you, Janet. I know. It seems like yesterday and here she is, growing up.
I haven’t been to the Arboretum in several weeks now. Thank you for telling me about the turtles and the artwork. Sounds like an Aesop Fable in the making. I’ve seen them out there on the lake, but, not on a piece of artwork. I’ll be looking for them next time we walk around.
By the way, we were disappointed to discover that they have discontinued the summer music series there. We went to a couple last year and really enjoyed them. Oh well . . .
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I didn’t know they had discontinued the music, I’ll have to talk to my niece’s husband who is the Head of Horticulture there and find out why they decided to do that. I haven’t made it to any of the concerts but I’m sure they’re really enjoyable!
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The year after my Dad retired he took a trip northeast in the fall and followed the colors home. It seemed like such a good idea, but I never thought of chasing spring. What a lovely thought. My son, in southern Illinois always has spring ahead of us and you are always a week or two later. Maybe next March I should visit my cousins in Louisiana and follow spring north.
Kezzie is just beautiful. I love how she smiles with her eyes as well as her mouth. She will grow up enjoying beautiful things, I am sure.
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That would be a wonderful trip for your father to take, Janet. We did Vermont one October and it was breathtaking – liking falling into a jar of candy corn. To follows the colors home – what a treat. That would be so wondrous for you to start in Louisiana and follow spring home. I always get excited to know when the peepers are out or the trees are blossoming at your house, because I know in a few weeks at most we will have the same.
Thank you. She does smile with her eyes. It is such a blessing to watch her grow. A good weekend it was for grandparents.
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Thank you for the beautiful pictures. I was waiting for them so show up . . . I think Keziah enjoys the lilacs a bit more this year than last, but I’m still glad we introduced her to them last year. Your photo captures her enjoyement and curiousity so well.
I love the thought of chasing spring. Never thought of it that way before, but it’s really cool. I love the idea of literally chasing a season across the country as well and may have to try that sometime when i have a bit of free time and gas isn’t quite so expensive!
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My pleasure, Katy. You’re welcome. It was so nice to introduce them to her last year, and see her growth this year and how you are teaching her to be gentle. Thank you. I keep hearing that she smiles with her eyes as well as her mouth-and find that to be so true. Just look at her!
I hope you get the chance to chase spring, or fall, across the country too.
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Oh just look at little Kezzie! How she has grown and how sweet she is! A beautiful photo of her with the lilac.. her smiley eyes.. thank you for sharing Penny.
It always seems strange to talk of it being cooler up north. Here in NZ it is cooler down south.
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Thank you, Joan. It was my pleasure, twice. Once in being with her, twice in sharing it here.
I know. The other day when you wrote about the rain, we almost seemed to be in sync for a day with our weather. Today, well, today we will be in the 80’s with lots of sun. Our weather can be erratic here, but, the sunshine will be most welcome after so much damp and rain.
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Oh Kezzie is such a beautiful little girl! What a joy she must be to you. I am so enjoying the weather and the greenness of everything just now…it’s about time. The winter seemed so long!
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Thank you so much, Rachel. She is a joy, and growing so quickly. This winter was a long and difficult one, even for those used to long winters, this took the cake. I see you’ve been to Central Park to enjoy the beautiful weather and will go back and comment a little later. I have so enjoyed reading of your experiences in NYC.
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What a lovely picture of Kezzie and she does smile with her eyes.She is such a cutie! I am happy to see a picture a turtle, I always wondered what happened to the turtle population, used to see them on the road everywhere. I did see many in Kentucky, maybe the high water must have brought them out to the roads. The first morning we went out fishing early all along the sandy bank it looked like Army helmets lined up in a row. And guess who didn’t think to take a picture. Did my heart good……
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Thank you, Sharon. Kezzie’s mommy, I must admit, can find a turtle wherever there is water. I have seen her stand at the water’s edge, quite still, and then proclaim “there’s a turtle”. She has me so conscious of them now that wherever there is water I look and you would be surprised how many are around here. Sounds like Kentucky was great and to see a row of army helmuts on Memorial Day weekend is quite patriotic. You needed it!
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