Short & Sweet
joie de vivre
French lavender blooming in winter is not expected in north Texas, and was a pleasant surprise that brought a little French joie de vivre (exuberant enjoyment of life) throughout January and midway through February.
I am not sure exactly when the French lavender plant in a pot on the back porch started blooming this winter. I was quite ill and did not go outside over Christmas and several days into January.
Then one day in mid-January I caught a glimpse of lavender on the porch from the sunspace windows in the kitchen. There were several blooms on the lavender plant. Plus, there were just as many new stems with buds not yet opened.
Each day after that I checked the plant and marveled at blooms on a French lavender plant in the dead of winter. Each day I would experience a little joie de vivre. Savoring each day is one of the hallmarks of French Country life. Living in the moment, enjoying the little things in life . . .
Each day my sister and I excitedly exchanged comments about how the plant was doing. Simultaneously, each day I grew stronger and felt better than the day before.
One morning in January all my trees were covered in light ice that melted by mid afternoon.
Yet... the lavender plant still had blooms and continued to grow with more blooms until the second week of February when a night time low was 23°. All of the blooms died, the plant withered, and the blooms drooped their heads on arching stems.
But . . . for a
SHORT and SWEET
time this winter,
the French lavender
bloomed out of season.
Just at a time I needed the blooms the most. At a time I was feeling so badly, the French lavender brightened my days, revived my spirits, and gave me joie de vivre.
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Sometimes the best things in life are not grandiose or milestone events, but are Short and Sweet.
Benita of Chasing Quaintness has organized a periodic blog hop for bloggers to share Short and Sweet stories. Please hop over to read all the Short and Sweet stories this month.
Benita at Chasing Quaintness
Barb at French Ethereal
Patti at Pandora's Box
Judith at Botanic Bleu (you are here)
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