Snow, O No!

Hi, everyone!
The weather this season is getting even more mixed up! Last week, we had sunny days and the flowers were blooming. I made friends with a flowering magnolia tree and more of my daffodil friends were in bloom.

Then, on Monday morning, there was snow outside!When I woke up, I could hear thumps as snow dropped off the trees onto the roof. It was very heavy snow and it got caught on all the leaves that were already out. The shrubs were bent all the way to the ground and there was snow on the crabapple blossoms. Most of the branches on one of Grandma and Grandpa’s lilac bushes broke off. I was very sad to see them on the ground!

By Wednesday, most of the snow had melted off the deck and I could see the crabapple petals that were there before the snow. It was dry enough to go outside and clean up the broken lilac branches. I helped Grandma cut them up and put them in a pile. I told the lilac buds how sad I was that they wouldn’t get a chance to bloom. Then I tried to help one of my daffodil friends stand up straight again.

Because the snow broke Grandma and Grandpa’s lilac, I started to worry about my lilac friends at Highland Park. When I was sad because we couldn’t go to Holland to see the tulips. the Highland Park lilacs cheered me up. I asked Grandma to take me to Highland Park so I could see if they were OK.
When we first got to Highland Park, everything looked all right. Some of the trees were in bloom, and most of the tulips were standing up straight again. The pink dogwood was blooming and one little magnolia tree was just getting ready to bloom.

But when we walked down the hill to the lilacs, I could see trouble! Some of the lilac branches were broken off, just like Grandma and Grandpa’s lilac. I like being close to lilac blossoms, but I was sad they were down on the ground right next to me! I wanted to do something to help them, but I couldn’t think of anything to do. So I sat with them and told them I was sorry they wouldn’t be able to bloom this year. I could see that the gardeners were already stacking the broken branches in piles and making clean cuts on the broken places. Some of the plants were already growing new leaves!

I was happy to see that most of my lilac friends were OK. Seeing the lilacs that were in full bloom and standing straight cheered me up. The pansies haven’t all been planted yet, but the ones already in the bed look fine. The azaleas and rhododendrons still had their winter leaves, so the snow didn’t bother them at all. And the redbuds didn’t have their leaves yet, so they didn’t get broken either. Even with some snow still on the ground, Highland Park looks ready for spring and there will be lots of lilacs standing up for the Lilac Festival.

I was still sad about the lilac buds that wouldn’t get a chance to bloom this year. So when we got back from the park, I helped Grandma cut a bouquet of lilac buds off the broken branches. This year, they’ll get to bloom inside!

Love,
Lion-san