“No yesterdays are ever wasted for those who give themselves to today.” ~Brendan Francis
I went away for a few days and came back to a tree full of pink and white blossoms. The small Japanese magnolia
Japanese Magnolia: A tree that blooms before it leafs ... Photo by Pat Bean
tree in my son’s Texas Gulf Coast front yard has exploded into spring. This is a tree that blooms before it leafs, like a human who chooses to eat their chocolate torte before their liver and onions.
I like it’s attitude. Always saving the best for last is not a good idea in my book of life.
The Japanese magnolia, or tulip tree as it is sometimes called, is among the first harbingers of spring. Other trees here in Lake Jackson, well except for the evergreen live oak, are still lifeless, their naked branches serving as inviting perches for the chickadees, warblers, sparrows, waxwings, blue jays, robins, starlings, grackles, pileated woodpeckers, shrikes, cardinals and red-tailed and red-shouldered hawks that frequent my son’s neighborhood. I enjoy their easily viewable presence these winter-morphing-into-spring days, knowing that soon they will be able to hide from my sight among leafy shadows.
Each season, each day his its own specialness. A dandelion brightens a patch of clover in the park across the street. A cloudless blue sky beckons me to get out and take a walk. I leave the window above my head open at night and snuggle beneath the soft covers.
And today I smashed one of the fallen Japanese magnolia blossoms in my hand to get the full effect of its strong scent. It’s a woodsy aroma, sort of like moss growing alongside a small stream.
It smells like spring is coming.
Pat Bean's blog 
“This is a tree that blooms before it leafs, like a human who chooses to eat their chocolate torte before their liver and onions.”
There’s an image to remember, and an attitude, too. The photograph is beautiful. Thank you.