My sister Evelyn lives in Jacksonville, Florida, and for the most part loves it, but there are two things she really misses about Pennsylvania—the changing leaves in the fall and the lilacs in the spring. I would have to agree. There is little else to compare with the heady fragrance of a lilac in bloom.

While walking through my garden after the rain today, I spotted these delicate buds just forming on my two lilac bushes and rushed inside for the camera. It's hard to believe that each of these buds is smaller than a fingernail yet packed with such fragile beauty and intricate texture. So these are for you, Effie, in the hope that you can come north next April to experience them in full bloom for yourself.

George Washington grew lilacs, and since the bushes can grow to be hundreds of years old, there may arill be one surviving out there. Washington supposedly has slept in half the homes and inns around Philadelphia, so it just might bear out that one of his lilac bushes lives on. 

Speaking of lilacs, The Morning Call had a great article by Diane Stoneback in the Sunday travel section about the Lilac Capital, Rochester, New York (Blooming lilacs!). Check it out if you can't get enough of these early spring beauties.