Monday, April 22, 2013

The Color Purple

"The Delights of Henbit in the Spring"

Over the weekend, I traveled far west of the Shire as I had last summer.
The Tidewater region had been enjoying warm spring days,
but the part of the Midwest that I journeyed to was still experiencing winter’s chill.
The contrast in temperatures was an unusual sensation, 80s
and the height of spring in Tidewater, 40s and the hope of spring in Missouri.

But the days were sunny, so I enjoyed the long drives we took through the countryside.
There were many bucolic scenes, including grazing deer, horses, and cattle.
The gentle rolling hills and plains were greening, and I particularly liked seeing some
fields and pastures still showing golden grasses intermixed with the emerging green.

photo, morguefile.com

But the most spectacular color came from the long expanses of field and lea
covered in rosy-purple henbit as far as the eye could see.

heather photo, morguefile.com

It looked like we were passing along fields of lavender or heather,
as in the photo above, but the lavish color was just everyday henbit, 
which, as my sister observed, is beautiful
unless it is choking out the grass in one’s own suburban lawn.

photo, morguefile.com

 

Even so, I loved seeing it.
It was an unexpected pleasure in a spring with  fluctuating temperatures:
when I left home, the air conditioning was on; when I returned, the heat.
So, remembering sunny fields full of the color purple--
it's the kind of memory that will remain.
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