April 29, 2006 - A Sure Sign of Spring

When we first moved into our house in New Jersey, the previous owners told us that the scraggly-looking shrub out front was a wisteria bush that would bloom gloriously (if briefly) in the spring. It was really pretty ugly during the rest of the year, but we left it alone, figuring we'd wait until the following spring to see what it really looked like. The thing certainly didn't disappoint us! For about a week, it blossomed into beautiful and fragrant purple flowers that attracted more bumble bees than I've ever seen in one place, and then went back to being an icky-looking thing in our front lawn. I made sure to take pictures of it each year, and every time I'd bemoan the fact that it was there looking bare, I'd look at the pictures and be reminded of just how gorgeous it could be, even for those few, short days.