While some are amusedly rejoicing at the sight and scent of lilacs in the fall air, I viewed them with dread and dismay. These were the buds that should be opening next spring, not in some altered climate that will spend them now, leaving the branches bereft and bare of blooms come the sunnier seasons. The same is true of these azaleas, budding out and opening in their brilliant shades of pink as we crest over the hump of October. This shouldn’t be happening now.
Part of me wondered whether it would be best to curb my lack of enthusiasm and simply enjoy the moment, even if I know it may mean diminished blooms in the spring. I want to try that, to slip into unfettered enjoyment of lilacs and azaleas and rhododendron in the cool days of October, but I know this isn’t a good thing, and it completely robs me of the anticipation that gets us through the winter. Another thing taken by 2023…
