i took these shots a few weeks ago, and meant to write about them then, but i didn’t. so here i go now, one last addition to abby’s unofficial flower week.
before i begin: i know this little blog can get awfully flowery sometimes. but i thought you should know, at the very least, that i come by it honestly. here, a very short story:
in the springtime, the periphery of the yard at my parents’ house is filled with daffodils of every imaginable shape and size, but it wasn’t always this way. when i was in elementary school, the property across the street from our family’s house was sold to developers. the once-farm hadn’t been working for half a century or more, but every spring, in the shade of its young trees, thousands of daffodils would bloom.
horrified at the prospect of losing the flowers to back-hoes, my mom rounded up her four daughters one early spring morning and marched us across the street, shovels in hand, to save the daffodils. some of us grumbled, some were too much convinced of the romance of it all to utter a complaint, and we’d all been too much indoctrinated with stories of miss rumphius to imagine it any other way.
together, we wheeled load after load of young shoots across the street and into our yard. an entire saturday devoted to saving the bulbs. that first spring, there were no flowers, but the next year, our yard was filled with buttery blooms. and it has been each spring since.
the end.
23 Comments
Miss Rumphius is such an inspiration! I just passed the house 10 minutes ago and marveled at the color!!!!!
what an incredibly sweet story! 🙂
you have a way with words and stories. and it makes me smile.
You are lovely, really. One of the most comforting parts of returning home from Fairfield this week was the sight of hundreds of sunny bobbing faces dancing in the breeze. I picked 108 in honor of Aunt Ruth's birthday and put them in every corner of the house, where they are brightening each room, even as they turn delicate as tissue paper. The poet said it well:
A house with daffodils in it
is a house lit up,
whether or no the sun be shining
outside–
Daffodils in a green bowl–
and let it snow if it will…
A. A. Milne
your mama doe is one amazing lady.
I love this story so much!
Have an amazing weekend!
As a child raised in the school of Miss Rumphius as well as a gardening mother, I wholly relate to this story! Glorious!
And there can never be too many flowers…
aw, this is lovely erin! what a great story! xo kate
Oh, I loved this story..! And then your mom's comment…. Just beautiful – all of it. Thank you.
xoox,
-maria
Beautifully said – it's a great story.
…I'm in awe of your mom:)
What a precious story! Your mom is a hero. 🙂 And so are you girls for being her accomplices.
How many times have I enjoyed those flowers without knowing their beautiful story?
I love this story. It made my day.
What an amazing memory to have 🙂 Thank you so much for sharing!
I absolutely love this story, Erin. Your mom is so sweet to think of such a thing!
I love the story that went with the photos.
My mom adores daffodils, her father brought bulbs from Pennsylvania for her to plant in her California garden, now he has passed, but every spring Grampa's daffodils bloom.
if i had a rule book, rule # 73 would be: never apologize for flowers, flowery-ness, thoughts of flowers. what a lovely post. thank you.
beautiful
i see a lot of these flowers around me now too. they make me smile 🙂
i loooove daffodils! beautiful post 🙂
Love the image of all of you saving the daffodils. 🙂
Hi,
I just want to tell you that I like your blog, it's incredibly inspiring.
I would also like to leave a footprint after me & Sweden, and will welcome you to my blog.
Agneta
huzzaH! what a hopeful story…just lovely as are your pictures.
sorry it's been so long since my last visit…i've missed you!
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