blossoms – blueberry, scots-pine, wisteria, lily-of-the-valley

Two years ago, I cut the blueberries down to ground level and this year there will be a bumper crop. (The cutting came about, because the plants were producing little to no fruit. And after some research found that the remedy was to cut them down and let them re-grow.) The candles on the conifer are always beautiful. The wisteria is a total surprise. I thought that it would take years before the plant was ready to shoot out flowers. Clapping for genetically modified intervention. The lilies-of-the-valley take up a whole corner of the back-yard and I love the smell these tiny bells give off.

Today is my parents’ 68^th wedding anniversary. April 1948 was an unusual time in Calabria. The aftermath of World War II hung over this rugged, poor land. My grandfather would tell the story of the American soldiers marching down Strada Statale – the main thoroughfare through Aprigliano.