Freeze!

There are some moments in time that I just wish I could freeze and stay in that moment for a very long time. Like when my kids were little and said (and sang) all those phrases from a wonderful childlike perspective.

"...Home, home on the range, Where the deer and the ants can go play...." , or

"All things are popsicle, only believe"

I miss all that stuff. Sometimes.

Right now I want to make time stand still and stay in the month of May (but without the ridiculous chill we felt this week, after being spoiled with an extra early spring arrival). Although it's a month of memories of when my Dad passed away, it's still a month I wish would last for at least 3 months so I can drink in the beauty around us.

Remember this????

As much as we complained, all that moisture and insulation has done a world of good and my plants have never looked healthier (except for the grass!).

Stuff I love about May:

Brilliant tulips and creeping phlox.

Woodland trilliums, daffodils, bleeding hearts, and Solomon's seal.

Clouds of Forget-Me-Nots that remind me of my Dad.

Magnificent magnolia trees - those are the ones whose blooms look like giant tulips.

Intoxicating fragance of fruit and crabapple tree blossoms, lilacs, and lily of the valley.

Robin and cardinal songs that wake me before 5 am.

Bumble bees and butterflies.

Green emerging everywhere from what was dead, hard, cold ground.

Warm breezes (except this past weekend!!).

Chipmunks.

And so much more.

Can't we just stop and stay right here for 3 more months with none of that summer humidity that makes us long to bury our face in a snowdrift?

I have one ulterior motive for my longings. I'm eyeing the plague of 65 trillion maple keys just waiting to helicopter their way down and drop over everything we own, in addition to many neighbouring properties. This picture is a teeny shot from two old massive messy maple trees in our backyard. If you think I exaggerate, come and help us rake, sweep and bag them as they completely cover our car, our driveway, our deck, our sidewalks, grass, gardens, and begin to root into little trees everywhere they land. Come enjoy a BBQ on our deck as they fill up your plate and add a mapley essence to your food. While you're at it, you can try to clear your chair of them before you're seated and then continue to pick them out of your hair as we chat. Just shake them out of your clothes and sandals when you leave - better to leave them here with the rest than take them home with you....or worse, begin to sprout in your clothing. When you drive away in your key covered car, you will bless all the neighbours for miles around with a share of our bounty.

I admit it was a totally cool plan that God had to ensure trees repopulated the earth. If I were God (Lord help us all), I would have just allowed about 20-25 keys per maple tree. But I suppose that would bring the wrath of the squirrels who like to eat and store as many of the seeds as they can. More power to them. Less to clean up....about 500 less.

The snow was beautiful indeed...but in my estimation, not nearly as lovely as these...