Sunday, March 25, 2012

Forsythia in Bloom (SOLS 25)



Forsythia, Forsythia, Forsythia...

I've been admiring the Forsythia for about a week now.  They were just starting to peek through the leaves on their glorious branches, and today they're in full bloom.  On Friday, I dropped my students off at their art special and to my amazement, the art teacher had a sample of a Forsythia project she was going to make with them.  They we going to make Forsythia out of yellow tissue paper, and glue them to branches in a vase.  I spent the whole week noticing Forsythia everywhere, and my students would be creating that very thing in art.

I started thinking about why I get so excited when the Forsythia start to bloom.  The typical reason is because it's one of the first signs of spring.  When the Forsythia start to bloom, I know spring is around the corner.  Then it occurred to me that it reminds me of my childhood.  When I was little, we had Forsythia bushes in our yard.  I always thought the flowers were bright and beautiful.  I remember spending many spring days making mud pies.  I would use the pans that came with my Easy Bake Oven as a mold.  I would put dirt and water in one of the pans and stir the mixture with a stick as if it were cake batter.  I would turn the concoction upside down onto a surface like our picnic table, and lift the pan away, leaving a perfectly round mud pie.  I would then collect a few Forsythia branches from a nearby bush, and use the delicate flowers to decorate my pies.  The end result would be a masterpiece.  So, when I see the Forsythia in bloom, I think of spring and great childhood memories.  Do kids still do that?  Make mud pies? 

I hope so.

10 comments:

  1. They certainly do trumpet in spring. Wouldn't it be great if they could be a yellow flowering bush all summer?

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    1. Oh, if they could only last the entire summer. That would be a dream. The flowering trees in spring are spendid too. Love this time of year!

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  2. I like how you reflected on the beauty and then remembered your childhood. What a delight. Your description created a clear visual for me.
    (Friends of ours who have young kids make mudpies still.)

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    1. I'm so glad to hear that. My daughter, now 17, didn't really make mud pies when she was little. She was more of a barbie girl. Barbie had lots of outdoor adventures though:)

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  3. You are so right that forsythias are a symbol of spring. I look for the forsythia blossom every spring because it is the first bit of color. However, this year it is having to share with many other blooming shrubs.

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  4. You're right, Elsie. So many shrubs are already in bloom this year thanks to the wonderful weather we've been having. I should try to capture it more in photos. Next winter/spring may be a different story.

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  5. Such pretty flowers! I love yellow, especially in the spring time. And, I love the word "peek" used to explain flowers in the spring time!

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    1. I'm just crazy for these flowers. They're so cheerful they put me in a good mood:)

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  6. Yellow is my favorite color, so I love both the daffodils and the forsythia. There are two bushes right by the road as I drive to school and they are one of the first signs of spring!

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    1. Yes, they are a wonderful site. I love how they usher in spring every year.

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