What a spring we have had! The Piedmont delivers such a palette of diversity in color across itself this time of the year. It's like a school girl getting all gussied up for the prom. It all starts with those two little signals late February-early March. One's visual and one's audible, the crocus and the peepers. For me, hearing peepers for the first time in spring is downright mood changing. It's like nature's little chorus. We actually have some neighbors that spend the week in the burbs. He told me once that the peepers on his pond actually drove him crazy. What?, I said. Who hates the sound of peepers?!! Can it possibly be like country folk hearing sirens in the city?

Then come the daffodils, hyacinth, tulip trees, pear trees, and apples. For those that have endured the dormancy, "especially artists", it becomes a pinch me moment. Even stepping out of the ice box for a little quality time in Florida, I find myself saying, finally some color! Well I guess winter gray is a color, but it hardly bears a pulse when you've been over exposed to it. Tha-thump, tha-thump, "Doctor, we still have a pulse, but it's very weak." "Is he an artist" "Yes, I'm afraid so." "Give him a heavy dose of spring "stat" and hit em' with two CCs of those peepers first!

Then things get really interesting, with red buds, dogwoods and the new leaves of spring green bringing a splendor of hues, especially against the Blue Ridge. As the tulips, azaleas and rhododendrons finally pop, along with big beautiful ornamental cherry trees, for me as an artist, this is possibly the sweet spot of spring.

There's certainly more to come, but such a wonderful time to remind ourselves of the gifts the Piedmont gives us. A inspirational picnic.

This is also the season of the lawn. Is it still a lawn when you're mowing acres of it or is it just a field? Even the creative have yard work to do. It's not like Paris 100 years ago, "or yesterday", where we artist types can just sit around cafes waiting for our creative impulses. Spring has sprung and the onion grass comes first, like the guy holding the starting gun saying "on yer mark!" The earliest I've come to that starting line was the last week of March, but more usually the first 10 days of April. I know being premature can only be trouble though, because as soon as you knock that onion grass down, the starting guy yells, "Get ready!!" By this point you can actually watch grass grow between the pending rains. Did I say rain? I guess I meant to say, pending deluge.

No matter. Hit the grass for the fist time in the spring and the guy with the gun delivers a "BANG!" and the race is on! And they're off .... Grass is out of the gate first, Mowing with a late start and Rain taking up the rear. Rounding the first turn, it's Grass by a nose ... but here comes Mowing. Mowing now trying to cut off Grass down the back stretch, covered by Rain. Rain now soaking Mowing, Mowing slipping back. Grass has the lead by lengths and Rain is now right in stride followed now by both Thunder and Lightning. As they round the last turn, Mowing is showing signs of tiring, but coming on like a heat wave ... IT'S AUGUST!!!! AUGUST passing Mowing!! Now AUGUST scorches Rain and Grass and both show signs of tiring!!! But MOWING is making a come back hurt only by Fuel Prices! Now past Grass and Rain and gaining on August, oh my it's going to be MOWING by a nose!!! What a race and for our daily double we have Weed Whacker winning by two lengths.

The Artist's Perspective