It was my mother who taught me to pull to the side of the road for wildflowers, back when we lived in Connecticut and she was ever on the lookout for Queen Anne’s lace. And so, leaving the office to drive to the writing workshop I’m teaching on Tuesday evenings, I sailed past these beauties, my schedule urging me forward. Then I stopped, put the car in reverse, and pulled up beside them. Spring in Austin is my favorite, favorite time. This year I have been dampened by illness and adjustments, but still I am wowed by redbuds and mountain laurel and now the bluebonnets, with surprise bits of pink and red, announcing themselves from yards. So dense, this patch here. So bright.

March 17, 2015