The New Life of Spring

While I'm usually focused on the emerging flora of spring,

I occasionally get a chance to see baby birds, goslings,

and one spring, baby foxes and possums.

But it occurs to me, I've never seen baby squirrels,

which this website: All about Squirrels,

says are called kittens.

Baby foxes photo from Amy_119, Live Journal

http://baaaaabyanimals.livejournal.com/4004333.html

Regardless, there is something magical about the new life of spring,

so here are some of my favorites:

Here's a fledgling blue jay

from the website consciousgardening.blogspot.com.

"Conscious Gardener" of Austin, Texas

was lucky enough to have four of these baby blue jays:

www.consciousgardening.blogspot.com

Here's a baby jay photo posted by Shelly Cox on the blog web site 

naturalmissouri.blogspot.com

This one is a little older. It still has that gawky look.

photo, Shelly Cox naturalmissouri.blogspot.com

I saw a gaggle of geese this weekend. 

Lots of little yellow fuzzy goslings like these:

morguefile.com

And here is a baby squirrel "kitten":

photo, commons.wikimedia.org

The cycle of life.

And so it goes ... 

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¡Cinco de Mayo!

May 5th is the day that more and more Americans celebrate 

¡Cinco de Mayo!

For many, the holiday provides the perfect excuse 

for stirring up a pitcher of margaritas

and eating tortilla chips and guacamole. 

The  Mexican coat of arms, from en.wikipedia.org

According to an article by May Herz, published on the website Inside Mexico

http://www.inside-mexico.com/featurecinco.htm

this holiday is of  historical importance in Mexico

because it marks the day in 1862 when Mexican liberal forces 

defeated Napoleon III's French troops

in their quest to capture Mexico City.

This victory took place in  the free and sovereign Mexican state of Puebla.

morguefile.com

Herz says that following Mexican independence from Spain in 1821,

France, Britain, and later even Spain,

loaned money to the newly established government.

But Mexico could not continue payments on the debt,

so President Benito Juarez notified the countries that Mexico

would suspend payments for two years and resume them at the end of that time.

Apparently, everyone agreed except for Napoleon III of France,

who decided to take Mexico as collateral.

So while Mexico became an independent country on 16 September 1821,

it preserved its independence on 5 May 1862.

photo from Google images, brittanica.com

And that's why Cinco de Mayo is a special day of celebration in Mexico.

I suppose that in the US, Cinco de Mayo is destined to be more like St. Patrick's Day

when everyone is Irish for 24 hours.

But for some, it will always be more than that.

¡Viva México!

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Lilacs

Late April to early May is the blooming time for lilacs here in the Shire.

The sweet scent, gentle purple blossoms, 

and graceful habit make lilacs popular.

We don't get enough sun to grow them around our house,

but they are considered an easy-to-grow shrub for Tidewater.

They are also good for attracting honey bees and butterflies.

Not to mention how pretty they are both in the garden

and cut for bouquets in the house.

This light violet color is the one I normally think of for lilacs:

morguefile.com

But there are darker purple ones:

morguefile.com

And lacy white ones:

photo from Google Images, landscaping.about.com

I didn't know it before, but lilacs have a secret life

as an ingredient for wine making.

Lilac wine, sometimes called French lilac, is said to be sweet, but not cloying.

The web site Leslie Land has an interesting account of lilac wine

and includes a recipe.

photo from http://leslieland.com/2009/05/lilac-wine/

Lemons, lilac petals, sugar, and yeast are apparently all it takes.

I would love to taste some just to see what it's like.

I can imagine it would make a good accompaniment

 for an afternoon tea or a light summer supper.

But considering that home made wines can be bitter and unappealing,

that may just be a romantic notion.

Even so, it's nice to know lilacs are one of the nice things about May,

however they reach our senses.

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