The Sweet Sights and Smells of Spring

It’s been two months since I blogged; time to amend that. Speaking of time, it’s that time of year in the Deep South when bright colors and sweet smells rule the days. In other words, spring has arrived.

For Aurora, the protagonist of “Light Fixtures”, the season will always be synonymous with her Grandmother and her beloved flowers. In the novel, once spring rain turns into drier and warmer days, Grandmother would faithfully water her gardens early in the morning, usually waking Aurora who, during her teen bipolar mania stage, had had only a few hours of sleep. (Of course, Aurora thinks that’s all just normal, as she thinks others move, talk, and think as if they were in molasses.)

Grandmother’s special flowers included: peonies (she plants them correctly with the eyes just above the ground level, not like the Yankee way that ended up with the flowers having no blooms); camellias, and azaleas. But her special flower actually graced a tree, the redbud tree that she’d planted at the beginning of the long driveway to the house.

Aurora loved the honeysuckle along the roadside and fences. Honeysuckle had a fragrant smell and a sweet, delicate taste! At night when she walked to the woods to see Mr. Hematite and Mr. Dragonfly, the scent carried her along. It even seemed to calm her down, as if she thought she needed that, but it was nice.

Maybe that’s the thing about spring, it’s not only brilliant in color but also reassuring that not only that all’s beginning again, but also that all’s well. Only Aurora, with the approach of summer, must first learn that lesson.

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