I guess I can no longer deny it. Spring is here. The vernal equinox has come and gone. Everyone who celebrates anything during this time of year has celebrated. What more is there to say? While most folks get very excited to welcome all of the pretty flowers and warmer days, I do not. What excites me is that April is halfway to Halloween! Now that will get me excited! However all of my skeletons are resting right now, so I am giving you my annual obligatory picture of Texas Bluebonnets. There are lots of them this year and they actually bloomed early. While temperatures have reached daytime highs in the 80’s, here where I live, Becca, my niece in South Dakota is still dealing with lots of snow.
April is also known as National Poetry Month. I write very little poetry myself. My muse occasionally inspires me to write Haiku, but that’s about it. However, I own many books of poetry. One of my favorites is Devotions by Mary Oliver. And there are any number of poetry readings and festivals around town all month long. The Women in the Visual and Literary Arts (WiVLA) is holding their annual poetry reading on Saturday, April 22nd. It’s called Poetry By The Bay and takes place at the La Porte Library from 11:00 a.m. — 1:00 p.m. If you are a member of WiVLA, there is still time to sign-up to read your own pieces. Or you can just plan on attending this event to hear the wonderful work created by other WiVLA members. I look forward to seeing you there.
For your literary pleasure, here is a quick poem by Mary Oliver that is called We Shake With Joy:
We shake with joy, we shake with grief.
What a time they have, these two
housed as they are in the same body.
However, if you are like me and are excited that we are halfway to Halloween, I will leave you with this picture. Hopefully scenes like this will hold us over until October returns. I’m already working on plans and stories for the annual Haunted Holidays reading event that will be held in November. I know I am looking forward to it. How about you?
Question: What kind of Texas blogger would I be if I did not include an annual picture of some Bluebonnets. Forget budding trees and warmer temperatures. It is the blooming of the Bluebonnets that hearkens the official arrival of spring.
This year, while strolling the Arboretum, I found a most unusual sign. No, I don’t consider it a sign from the Universe, but an interesting sign to be sure. In case you can’t read this, it says, “We Are Using Prescribed Fire To Manage This Landscape”. I have never seen this sign before during all of my nature strolls in this lush landscape. I have to admit it was a lot cuter when they brought in goats to trim some of the wild growth around the area. Goats draw crowds of walkers, hikers, and families. Fire is not so cute, but apparently necessary. I only worry that this is a sign that Houston is flirting with drought conditions and we are preparing for possible wild fires within city limits. My, what interesting times we live in here in 2022.
To calm my worries and anxieties, I went to my new favorite coffee and tea spot. It’s called 7 Leaves and it’s located in the strip near the corner of Richmond and Weslayan across from the Costco. This delightful beverage is a large Sea Foam Black Coffee with an added shot of espresso. Yum! They also serve Vietnamese coffee, Thai green tea and macaroons. Every table is close to an outlet so all of the students and young professionals can plug in their laptops or tablets or whatever. At this point I have been going there a couple of times a week. Service is great, staff are friendly and java is delicious. What more could I ask for?
This is the eye chart that is hanging on the wall. It definitely spells out the vibe of the establishment. Why don’t you go to 7 Leaves and let me know what you think?