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I love the idea of @penny’s A-May-Zing Spring Challenge, and not just because of the pun in the title. It’s a good idea to come out of the Northern Hemisphere’s winter months with a sense of bright energy, and this challenge helps all of us refresh a bit. Plus, my birthday is on May 1st, so this is a win-win for me.
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Here, in southern Alberta, Canada, we are alternating between winter snowstorms and spring showers and some warmth in-between. But not enough to really do a lot of outdoor gardening or picnicking yet, so I’m going to address the challenge by proxy

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First, the photo of the Tiger Lily above. It is my favourite flower. Apparently, it is my youngest older sister’s favourite flower and was my grandma’s (on my dad’s side) favourite flower, too.

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20 years ago, when I owned a different home here in town, I had a huge flower garden. Partially from the woman who owned the house 2 owners previous, and partially because of me. There were some rare flowers in my yard, and folks would stop by to ask if they could take a cutting so they could grow their own. I would agree, provided they brought me a cutting from their rarest flower in return. It made for a gorgeous yard and lots of colours. Plus, one gigantic Strawberry Rhubarb plant that I couldn’t have killed if I tried.
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One day, my grandma stopped by to ask for some cuttings. Of course I gave her whatever she wanted, without hesitation. I considered it an honour, considering how many plants she grew and loved.
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Fast forward to 6 years ago. The old house I had lived in was sold and the owners destroyed the flowers. My grandma had passed away several years earlier and had been in a retirement facility for years up to then. Her house and yard were left vacant and run down. I took it over and started to rejuvenate it.

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I was frustrated and sad that the home my grandparents had loved and lived in their whole lives together was in such disrepair. The plants dead, everything broken. I was working in the yard, tearing down weeds for compost and a bit sad.

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The sun came out as I just finished tearing away a big clump of thistle, and that Tiger Lily is the flower I suddenly saw. The only flower that survived. It had come from my previous yard, from when my grandma took one. It made me smile, and felt like my grandma was smiling with me.

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After that, even though this house and yard have given me no end to unique challenges, I have not felt bad dealing with it since that moment.

Thanks for reading this, my Tiger Lilies, and Happy Spring!

@missy @lust, and of course Penny.