Looking Back: Tulip Poses From Spring 2020

" Tulips were a tray of jewels. "

E.M. FORSTER, Howards End

I'm waiting for Spring and dreaming of tulips. The calendar says it's March, and the light lengthening our days gives us a sense that, yes, it's coming. Snow removal crews were in our neighbourhood last night hauling away last week's huge snow dump from the streets. It's windy and cold, and there's no sparkling sunshine today. Still, something in the air buoys my spirits.

I love tulips. They are the harbinger of warmer days. They arrive in the grocery stores and flower shops in late February, early March and remind me that, no, we are not living in a Narnia winter that lasts forever. Tulips make me smile. I find them winsome. No wonder the Dutch folk fell in love with them centuries ago. With so many varieties and colours to beguile us, there is something for every taste. Someone online recently noted, 'the flower amuses us in all of its form and beauty'. It's true.

Usually Rick and I don't go all out planting masses of tulip bulbs in the fall, but in September 2019, we felt a longing to plant pots and pots of tulips and have them ready to set out early the following spring. Little did we realize how much we’d need these charming cup-shaped flowers when March 2020 began to unfold. Their bright petals—cheerful against winter's snowy backdrop and the darkening knowledge that our planet was being engulfed in a worldwide pandemic—became a balm amidst the shocking news.

We didn't plant pots of tulips last fall to enjoy early this season—the inner push wasn't there this time. Once the snow is gone, it won't take long for bulbs in the garden to push out their tiny green shoots. In the meantime, I'm sharing a handful of photos from Spring 2020, pairing these Five on Friday with a selection of the latest quotes I've added to my 5-year quote diary. The bad news never stops, but the good news is, beauty arising on a Spring morning cannot be stopped either. 'Courage, dear hearts.'

One

" Enjoy the world within our boundaries . . .

focus on the few things we can do,

rather than the millions of things we can't. "

MATT HAIG, Notes on a Nervous Planet

Two

" A flower a day can bring

a prayer to mind. "

As seen on Carrie's Twitter Page

Three

" But in the end, it's only a passing thing, this shadow.

Even darkness must pass. A new day will come.

And when the sun shines, it'll shine out the clearer. "

J.R.R. TOLKIEN

Four

" We pull weeds to make

room for flowers. "

Quoted by Connie Schultz's father, as seen on Twitter 

Five

" Confidence is knowing you're not everyone's

cup of tea and being okay with it. "

@WISECONNECTOR, Twitter

Bonus

" It was one bright, beautiful moment

in the middle of a hideous world . . . "

KATE QUINN,  Francis Gray in The Rose Code novel about WWII

* * *

Wishing you a beautiful weekend.

Heart hugs,

Brenda

Photos on this post are mine