Hydrangeas

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Mother’s Day. I popped in on my folks and visited with them a pretty good while on Sunday. Once a month my sister brings my Dad to the house for the weekend to give him a break from the nursing home. Since he was home this past weekend I got to visit with both my parents at the same time, which was really nice.

When I was younger I planted lots of different plants around the house. Over the years they’ve all disappeared and my parent’s home is pretty much devoid of any blooms these days. As I was walking around the house my mind became flooded with memories of my childhood and the way the old house once looked. When I was a child I would take my little green army men and lie under the azaleas on my belly. Instantly I would be transformed to the height of two inches and my army men and I would be hidden in a huge jungle filled with large trees. I would place them on a twig in the azalea forest and pretend they were on a large branch in one of the ancient trees. Ants suddenly became animals the size of a small dog. I can still remember the smell of the moist soil. Isn’t it amazing how quickly our imagination can adapt to a situation when we are children? The world was a different place then and I long for those days back.

I’m still very much in touch with my inner child even as a 44 year old man. I allow my imagination to take over as often as I can, though it’s never as vivid as it was when I was a child. I think as adults we allow society and even friends to steal parts of our soul. We are told and expected to act a particular way. I’m certain that there are those in my circle that are convinced that I am a fool… But despite their opinions and their attempts to change who I am I still on occasion wish on stars, jump in mud puddles and sometimes on warm evenings I dance in the rain wearing nothing but my underwear. The warm rain has a way of cleansing my soul and washing away all my troubles and fears. But, I digress…

As I was strolling down memory lane and the yard, I came across this Hydrangea. I was fascinated by all the different shades and colors of the blooms as they age. For some reason I was over whelmed by the beauty and the process of it all. I’m not sure why, maybe it’s just the state of mind I’ve been in recently. Colors seem to resonate with me more some days lately… Hope you enjoyed the photos.