A Second Spring

We have just arrived home, after spending a month in sub-tropical, Hilton Head Island, SC having paid only winter rates. However, spring had already started when we arrived. Gardeners were in the process of planting yellow and violet flowering pansies all over the entrances to the island's plantations. The 'Empress of Winter', the camellia shrub with gorgeous red blooms, was already in flower, surrounding the entrance to Captain's Walk in Palmetto Dunes, where we were staying. And with each day we seemed to see new evidence of spring. The shrubs and the ornamental grasses began to grow. Day after day we saw more and more azaleas with many different colorings come into bloom. The yellow daffodils started to flower on the green shoots that had poked their heads through the earth almost everywhere we looked. The pink and white buds on the flowering trees were just about in full bloom. And of course, the grass was lush and green. As we departed gardeners were again planting annuals, this time impatiens and petunias. What a delight spring is!
And now that we are back home, about 700 miles north of Hilton Head Island, we are looking forward to experiencing a second spring. How blessed we are!