Carved on a stone in one of the gardens at Lake Chautauqua are these words in honor of the beautiful hyacinth:
"If thou of fortune be bereft, and in thy stores but two loaves left, sell one...and with the dole, buy hyacinths to feed the soul."
The hyacinth is by far my favorite spring flower. It does indeed feed the soul. I love it not just for its beauty but for its heavenly scent. It reminds me that good things are to follow its blooming. Sunshine, summer breezes, picnics under the tree out back, more iced tea with lemon, the laughter of the grandchildren playing ball in the backyard, the house doors flung open to let in the smells and sounds of it all.
The poem about the hyacinth reminds me of charming Lake Chautauqua with it's sail boats on the water and the Victorian gingerbread houses lining the streets above the lake.
Being invited there as a guest to attend the Highlights Writing Workshop was the high point of several summers for me. Kent Brown always made us feel so welcome and even the visiting writers such as Joy Crowley from Australia were so approachable and kind.
On a porch overlooking the lake I first read my short story Vada Faith and Joy Ruth and asked the group if the characters and their story was enough to fill a novel. I got a resounding yes and before summer's end I had a rough draft of my novel, HUNGRY FOR CHOCOLATE. I'll be spending a few weeks this summer revising it and getting it ready for publication. One way or the other. I want to see that novel in print.
I look forward to shopping this week. I've had my eye on several hyacinths at the grocery. They aren't quite ready to bloom and that's when I like to buy them. Hopefully they'll grace us with their "blooming presence" on Easter morning.
Blessings! Thanks for stopping by.
"If thou of fortune be bereft, and in thy stores but two loaves left, sell one...and with the dole, buy hyacinths to feed the soul."
The hyacinth is by far my favorite spring flower. It does indeed feed the soul. I love it not just for its beauty but for its heavenly scent. It reminds me that good things are to follow its blooming. Sunshine, summer breezes, picnics under the tree out back, more iced tea with lemon, the laughter of the grandchildren playing ball in the backyard, the house doors flung open to let in the smells and sounds of it all.
The poem about the hyacinth reminds me of charming Lake Chautauqua with it's sail boats on the water and the Victorian gingerbread houses lining the streets above the lake.
Being invited there as a guest to attend the Highlights Writing Workshop was the high point of several summers for me. Kent Brown always made us feel so welcome and even the visiting writers such as Joy Crowley from Australia were so approachable and kind.
On a porch overlooking the lake I first read my short story Vada Faith and Joy Ruth and asked the group if the characters and their story was enough to fill a novel. I got a resounding yes and before summer's end I had a rough draft of my novel, HUNGRY FOR CHOCOLATE. I'll be spending a few weeks this summer revising it and getting it ready for publication. One way or the other. I want to see that novel in print.
I look forward to shopping this week. I've had my eye on several hyacinths at the grocery. They aren't quite ready to bloom and that's when I like to buy them. Hopefully they'll grace us with their "blooming presence" on Easter morning.
Blessings! Thanks for stopping by.
I saw some hyacinths in the flower department at my grocery store yesterday. Quite beautiful, and a wonderful hallmark for Spring!
ReplyDeleteOh, I love hyacinths too! I have a couple of pottery bowls with hyacinths on them--so they get to bloom all year!
ReplyDeleteI love hyacinths, too. I used to have them outside, but they eventually quit coming up. I think my favorite sightings in spring are the forsythias. Good luck with Hungry for Chocolate! I also have a story that I want to see in print. I'll keep working on it and submitting until (hopefully) someday I will see it in print.
ReplyDeleteA visiting cousin just brought us a hyacinth, and its scent fills the room. But I'm really writing about Chautauqua and how its magic also "fills the soul." Like you Barb, I have so many memories--of Patti Gauch telling me to giving my character "gumption" and of Kent Brown saying he'd consider a book of short stories about the American Revolution--with Young Patriots coming out four years later. But mostly, it's the writing friendships and the kinship that we all feel--the critiques on the porches and long talks while licking delicious ice cream cones. And the inspiration to keep writing--which is why I'm going back to work--now!
ReplyDeleteThese are my favorites as well. You will find me inhaling them deeply wherever I find them this time of year.
ReplyDelete