Daffodilmania

This past winter was long and brutally cold. The dogs did not want to go out and romp in the snow. Ice crystals decorated the windows in the house. I lost count of the number of times the driveway had to be shoveled and I thought my ugly UGGS would be permanently molded to my feet.

"No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow."  

The earliest burst of spring color, daffodil yellow, trumpets spring's arrival. This is no caution light; spring is here...good bye winter. And in beautiful Oakwood, 1 1/2 acres filled with over 160,000 daffodils scream, "Hello Spring!" to the winter-weary.

What a beautiful sight this is for tired-of-looking-at-winter-grays eyes! It's a sea of sunshine. Cars drive by slowly to catch this happy yellow moment, walkers stand at the curb and take in the dramatic yellow landscape.

But spring in Ohio means one day it can be 80 degrees, people wear shorts and cut the grass, then it snows the next...

Under the giving snow blossoms a daring spring. ~Terri Guillemets

The snow was short-lived, but here long enough for people to take some beautiful snow photos. After one day of snow, the daffodils popped back up strong as ever to have people once again slow down in their cars and for the walkers to congregate along the curb. As William Shakespeare said, "April hath put a spirit of youth in everything."

Wordless Wednesday {First Blooms}

Pollen

The Miami Valley...this time of year fondly known as "Sinus Valley." Pollen counts have been high; allergy sufferers have been miserable. And here's proof...

This table is on my screened-in porch and I had wiped it off a little over a week ago. Just a little bit of pollen to send some noses into a tizzy! AHHHHH-CHOOOOO!!!!

Wintery Spring {April in Ohio}

Early spring in Ohio...

Yesterday, I cut my grass and got a little sunburn on my face. People were wearing shorts and flip flops. Today we're bundling up AGAIN. 

C'mon Mother Nature...let's commit to a decision!

P.S...Frost warning tonight...

Yep...this is spring in Ohio!

Cherry Blossoms {Athens, Ohio}

Every year, thousands of people descend on Washington D.C. to see the magnificent cherry blossoms. Someday I will be part of that crowd, just not this year.

A little bit closer to home, about 2 1/2 hours away in southeastern Ohio, the cherry blossoms at Ohio University herald spring's arrival. The trees are at the south end of campus at the Richland Avenue Bridge and line the Hocking River. The white blooms provide a picturesque entrance to OU this time of year. 

The Japanese call the cherry trees sakura and they are very important in Japanese culture. The trees have been cultivated for their flowers and are reminiscent of clouds. The sakura are a symbol of friendship and because the blooms last a very short time, they symbolize mortality, the transience of life and are a reminder of the fragility of spring.

OU's cherry trees are a gift from Chubu University, Ohio University's sister institution in Japan. In 1979, Chubu University gave 175 trees to Ohio University in honor of OU's 175th anniversary. Over the years, storm damage and other injury and disease decreased the number of cherry trees to 97. In 2003 Chubu offered to replace the damaged plants and increase the number of sakura to 200, in honor of Ohio University's bicentennial in 2004. 

I have had kids at OU for six years and I have never seen the cherry trees bloom. When I was there at the beginning of April, I asked Andrew to show me where the cherry blossoms are. We took a nice morning walk but there were no blooms, just buds. Darn. 

Fast forward a little over a week and after a couple cups of coffee, I decided on a spontaneous road trip to Athens. I wanted to see those blooms...and my kid, too. 

Springtime Blues...

Last Saturday was a warm and sunny day...perfect for taking the big dog for a walk and to look for some more signs of spring. Remember, this is southwestern Ohio and Mother Nature has trumped Punxatawney Phil in his prediction for an early spring. But...the early spring flowers are starting to pop out of the ground and bring some color to the neutral winter landscape.

 

It's interesting that a lot of the early spring flowers are from the blue family. Maybe it's the promise of blue skies to come...

Wordless Wednesday {First Day of Spring}

First Day of Spring in Dayton, OH

Pysanky {Ukrainian Easter Eggs}

The art of pysanky, the beautifully decorated Ukrainian Easter eggs, dates back to pagan times. Folk tales reveal that people who lived in the region now known as Ukraine worshipped the sun. It warmed the earth and therefore was a source of all life. Eggs decorated with symbols of nature were chosen for sun worship ceremonies and became integral to spring rituals as benevolent talismans.

The word pysanka is derived from the Ukrainian verb pysaty 'to write.’ Pysanka is an egg which has been decorated with a wax-resist method where a person draws (or "writes," as Ukrainians would say) the design on the egg. 

ArtStreet is an innovative learning and living arts complex located in the South Student Neighborhood at the University of Dayton. ArtStreet offers creative programs and spaces for the entire UD and Dayton area communities to enjoy. Recently, Christina Pereyma and her daughter, Helen, offered a hands-on workshop on the art of pysanka. Helen is the 5th generation of pysanka artists in her family. 

A special tool called a kistka is used to melt the beeswax and write on the eggs. The kistka is the pen and the beeswax is the ink. Each successive color is waxed and dyed until the entire design is created on the surface of the egg. The wax is then removed, a protective finish applied and the contents emptied. The eggs are shared with others as an expression of friendship, good will and love. Each participant learned how to use a kistka by practicing on a piece of paper. Blobs form easily and if the beeswax blobs on your egg, that “design” will stay there. Once we felt comfortable with the kistka, we created our own eggs.

Christina brought some eggs that her 87-year old aunt decorated. They are exquisite works of art. Her aunt escaped from Ukraine and came to the United States when the Soviets invaded the country and consequently suppressed the traditional arts. Christina’s aunt is considered a living, national treasure of Ukraine because of her mastery of this art form.

Exquisite pysanky

My first-time attempt at pysanka

Among Ukrainians there is a belief that the fate of the world depends upon pysanky. As long as egg decorating continues, the world will exist. Should the custom cease, evil in the guise of an ancient, vicious monster chained to a huge cliff, will encompass the world and destroy it. Each year the monster's servants encircle the globe, keeping a record of the number of pysanky made. Should there be too few, the monster's chains loosen, and evil flows through the world. If there are many, the monster's chains hold taut, allowing love to conquer evil.