I’d intended to write on another subject tonight. But, at the moment, my living room is filled to overflowing with the scent from a massive bouquet of lilacs. So guess what is top of mind.

Sarah’s little schoolhouse in the country sits in a near-forest of lilacs that bloom later than ours. In two weeks, she’ll be coming back to the city with bucketloads of them.

My house has one ancient shrub, tucked in the dark back corner. It sadly needs rejuvenation, which I will begin this year – cutting back one-third of the trunks a year for the next three years. I began with the trunk the racoons use to get to the roof of our shed (which was going to be what my post was about). Hence that massive bouquet.

But, oh, the fragrance.

This winter’s cold seems to have done one thing right. It has brought out the best in the flowering trees. The magnolias, the redbud, cherry of all varieties, and now the lilacs and flowering crabapple. The branches are overburdened with flower and the air in the city is syrupy with their perfume.

Excuse me… for breathing. Sniffffffffffffff.