Amy M. Schaefer
  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery

From the Front Porch

I am an "accidental blogger". When I launched my writing career in March of 2014, one of the things that I decided to include was my journaling, which I have always found to be a comforting and therapeutic endeavor.  It was a big risk to open myself up in such a public forum, but it has taught me that, for the most part, we share far more experiences than we think. It's comforting to know I'm not alone!  (*the "Button Text" is the link to my first novel)
Button Text

Just Say "NO" to the Golf Course Lawn! Long Live the Violets!

3/18/2016

0 Comments

 
Picture
Picture
Technically a violet is a weed. It's certainly not as elegant or showy as, say, an orchid or an aster, nor does it give off any sweet fragrance, like a rose. Still, I have always considered it to be the first true harbinger of Spring. It reminds me of a gentle organic love-note saying, "Warmer weather is on the way and soon every living thing will bloom again." Violets have, in fact, been my favorite flower since childhood (with buttercups, roses, and tulips vying for second spot).

It pains me to have to close up my house this weekend, as old man winter has his way with us one final time. I'm going to miss the warm breezes that gently waft the gauzy curtains at my windows and the sounds of Robins singing loud and merrily outside in the warm sunshine. I will say, though, I'd have been deeply surprised had old man winter not given at least one more icy whisper over the land before warmer weather prevailed. That is the way of things here where I grew up. It has always been woven into the seasons. Some of the more tender buds, unprepared for a stark chill, will die off in the onslaught. The violets, however, will stand their ground, a lavender cloak shielding them at the ready while their pretty faces offer up a sassy, "Challenge accepted!"

I get irritated when my husband insists on mowing over these violet beauties, but it must be done sooner or later to prevent the lawn from becoming a jungle. I am mollified by the fact that my little beauties will grow back again and again, this dainty little promise ever lurking beneath green blades of sweet grass. And I do firmly put my foot down at spraying them with any kind of weed killer, much to my husband's constant exasperation! There well be NO malicious destruction of violets, dandelions, and buttercups in my yard. I refuse to live on a swath of land that looks like a golf course (which is hilarious, now that I think about it, because this entire neighborhood is built on top of what used to be a golf course)! This weekend Spring officially beings here in the South (and around the United States). It will slip in on a cold night without much fanfare, as most of us are forced to turn up the heat or put a warmer blanket on the bed. Unofficially, though, it started for me the day I spotted that first tiny violet in the yard.
0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    About The Author

    I grew up in rural North Carolina. When I was only nineteen, I moved away and became a military wife. My only aspiration at that tender time in my life was to create an adult life that "fixed" all of the "injustices" of my childhood. Secretly, however, I wanted to reach for the sky! I wanted to be a writer and find ways to "save the world" (my mother used to say, "You have Save the World Syndrome".). Mostly, I wanted to matter.

    Since then, I have learned to reach well beyond what I ever dared to think was possible. I've learned not to allow fear to stop me from whatever future I want to create!

    What keeps me grounded? My Tribe! What provides the wind beneath my wings? A well of reserves filled with unstoppable passion!

    Archives

    August 2021
    March 2020
    August 2019
    June 2019
    March 2019
    November 2018
    October 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    May 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    December 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    January 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014

    Categories
    A View From the Hill: Short Stories by Mattie Hill Shields

    All

    Button Text

    RSS Feed

    View my profile on LinkedIn
Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Amy M. Schaefer, Writer
  • Blog: From the Front Porch
  • Novels
  • Short Stories
    • Children's Books
  • About the Author
  • Contact
  • Photo & Art Gallery