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At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

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April 8, 2017

Roadside Daffodils

Every Spring it seems like our entire side of town is watching…waiting.

We text each other, “Are they out yet? Have you seen the sign yet?”

We post on Facebook, “Has anyone seen them yet? PLEASE let us know if you see them!”

And then, one day, you’re driving down the road and just up ahead you get a glimpse of something. Could it be? Are they there? Is it just a figment of my imagination?

You get closer and closer and the first thing you see is the sign.

Then…you spot them. They’re bending in the breeze as if they are waving hello and you can’t help but smile because…well…daffodils have to be perhaps one of the most cheerful flowers ever.

You may or may not be in your car clapping your hands and squealing, “They’re here! They’re here!”

You park your car and walk up (or drive up if it’s pouring rain because, well, this is Oregon after all!) the long driveway to the little table where the rusty coffee can sits and drop your bills in, making sure to use the rock that is provided to keep them from blowing away since the lid doesn’t fit properly anymore. Plastic bags have been graciously provided for you to use for your flowers so you don’t drip water all over in the inside of your car.

And then, it’s time to make your selections. Really, you can’t go wrong because they are all so perfect but you just kind of want to stand there for a bit relishing the moment. You hop back in your car and wonder what it is about this annual tradition that gives your spirit a boost and puts a smile on your face.

 

And you realize that, perhaps, it’s because even though you live in a fairly large city, a roadside daffodil stand makes you feel like you live in a small town.

Or maybe, it’s because it seems like the perfect representation of Spring.

Maybe, it’s because you feel bonded together with people (some of whom you don’t even know!) who appreciate the same things that you do.

Or maybe, it’s because for this brief moment in time, you are reminded of just how much joy is found in the simplest of things.

“I am beginning to learn that it is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.” (Laura Ingalls Wilder)

May your weekend have a moment or two of sweet, simple things dear friends!

 

15 Comments Filed Under: Good Thoughts

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Comments

  1. Gail says

    April 8, 2017 at 3:51 AM

    NICE. Have a great one.

    Reply
  2. Karen says

    April 8, 2017 at 4:05 AM

    LOVE THEM.

    Reply
  3. Julie Cole says

    April 8, 2017 at 5:53 AM

    I went to the store this week and they had daffodils on sale. Every time I walk by them in my kitchen my heart smiles! It really is the simple things that are real in life. What great memories that family has passed on to others in your town!

    Reply
  4. Vickie Macfarlane says

    April 8, 2017 at 6:12 AM

    A reminder of days gone by, when we loved seeing these flowers. As children we called them “Easter Lillies.” It seemed as though they grew wild in many areas. Such beauty after the cold and dreary days of winter. They were a true sign of Spring in Oklahoma where I grew up.
    Thank you for sharing.

    Reply
  5. Karen says

    April 8, 2017 at 8:08 AM

    Sweet and simple, jut like Laura said.

    Blessing you with a sweet, simple and beautiful Saturday morning

    Reply
  6. Gigi says

    April 8, 2017 at 8:12 AM

    I love them too! I wish I lived in Oregon! Thanks for writing and evoking such great emotions.

    Reply
  7. Michele (Finch Rest) says

    April 8, 2017 at 9:09 AM

    Squeeeeeeeeee!!!!!

    Joy joy joy!

    May your Holy Week be blessed and Jesus be utmost in your hearts this week, and always.

    Hugs. ♥

    Reply
  8. Esther says

    April 8, 2017 at 9:30 AM

    I went and got mine!! Thanks for letting me know she was finally open. I’ve gone by twice before and she wasn’t open yet – so disappointing! (I went on the windy day and was worried that they would all be wind blown gone, but there were plenty!)

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      April 8, 2017 at 12:11 PM

      So glad you were able to get some Esther!!! Aren’t they just so wonderful? Happy Spring!

      Reply
  9. Rose L. says

    April 8, 2017 at 11:51 AM

    I live in Oregon City and love the small town country feel here! Daffodils, tulips and others are popping up in my gardens and love the color after the long winter.

    Reply
  10. stephanie Ray Brown says

    April 8, 2017 at 4:28 PM

    This story is just precious! Love your style of writing too! Daffodils and dogwoods are my favorite spring blooms in Kentucky! Happy spring!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      April 8, 2017 at 6:48 PM

      Thank you so much Stephanie! So glad you stopped by the picket fence! 🙂

      Reply
  11. MARY-ANN (FROM CANADA!) says

    April 8, 2017 at 7:12 PM

    So beautiful! Enjoy! How fun to be able to go to a roadside stand and get your flowers! You live in such a wonderful part of the world!

    Blessings!

    Reply
  12. Pam says

    April 9, 2017 at 7:46 PM

    Hello, I have been looking for an “old” looking kitchen scale like the one you pictured in your post. Any suggestions where I could purchase one online for a reasonable price? I have looked at antique (junk) stores with no luck. Thanks! Pam

    Reply
  13. julie says

    April 10, 2017 at 2:49 AM

    Wow! 10 for a dollar . . . Beautiful treat.

    Reply

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Yesterday on the way home from school I had the ra Yesterday on the way home from school I had the radio tuned to my daughter's favorite station and a song that was playing had a line in it that really stood out to me. It made reference to a 'season of the sticks' which I think its safe to say must mean winter. I thought that was such an accurate, albeiet kind of depressing, picture of this time of the year.

While we definitely have more than our fair share of evergreen trees here in Oregon, we also have plenty of trees and bushes that are reduced to sticks during the cold months. But, this morning as I looked out my kitchen window, greedily sipping from my mug of coffee, I marveled at the beauty of the winter sunrise. The sky was all pinks and oranges with frost on the rooftops and a little bit of fog. And, I realized that part of why it was so amazing is because I could see it more clearly through the sticks. The bare branches allowed me a view that I wouldn't be able to see if those same branches were covered in leaves. Being stripped down to almost nothing revealed something magnificent.

We have seasons of the sticks in our lives too, don't we? Times when we feel as though we've been stripped bare and left exposed. It's easy to think that this is a place where all is ugly and dark. And yet, just like the winter sunrise was more visible because of the bare branches, the vulnerability we feel in the winter season of our souls allows us to get a glimpse of beauty that we wouldn't see otherwise. In the lush, warm seasons it's so easy to become comfortable. But in the bare, cold seasons we recognize just how much we need to rely on the One who placed the stars in the heavens and is sovereign over all.

If you feel like your soul has been stripped bare and you've been left exposed and vulnerable, may I encourage you today to ask the Lord to help you to see the beauty in this 'season of the sticks'.

“Answer me quickly, O Lord! My spirit fails! Hide not your face from me, lest I be like those who go down to the pit. Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love, for in you I trust. Make me know the way I should go, for to you I lift up my soul." Psalm 143:7
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