The Daffodils Are Coming!The Daffodils Are Coming! by Nora LeDuc #RomanceGems

I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o'er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host of golden daffodils;
(William Wordsworth)

With my stay at home life, I'm more eager than ever to get out and spot New England's signs of spring. I especially love the trumpet-shaped flowers, the daffodils. Their welcoming bright yellow, orange, or white colors welcome all who pass and raise my hopes for summer. So let's not waste time. Since car rides are allowed in our state, I'm off on our search for these harbingers of renewal. I'll add a few interesting landmarks along our way.

Molly Stark House at Pages Corner. Molly 
married General John Stark.

Before we leave, I check my yard. I discover the newest grouping I'd planted last fall near the road. They've survived the overflow of sand and salt from the plow truck and being buried beneath a mound of snow. Sadly, their buds haven't opened yet. But we've more to find. I hop in my vehicle and drive to the Pages Corner Cemetery that was named for the original land owners. Their daughter, Elizabeth Page (aka Molly Stark) lived on the corner and married Revolutionary War Hero John Stark.

Pages Corner Cemetery flowers--white building houses a horse-drawn hearse-
thanks to the town hearse restoration committee

But refocus! The plants are up at the cemetery! A long row of them, courtesy of our garden club. Their petals flutter in the wind and beckon me to snap their picture. I oblige. You might be curious about the white building in the grave yard. It houses a restored 1870 horse-drawn hearse.




I travel a few yards to the town line. Here, multitudes of daffodils are growing. Woo Hoo!! The residents of our community planted these for our town's 250 birthday celebration a few years ago.

                                          Roadside mass of flowers thanks to our town garden club                                         

Finally, my car chugs up the nine-hundred-foot-hill to the Center. There I make a glorious discovery. In front of the Caleb Stark Statue, the old horse trough contains a cheery display on this gray day. In case you're wondering, Caleb was Molly and Gen. John Stark's oldest son. Caleb is often depicted in paintings, chasing after his father who tried to leave him behind when John rode off to fight at the Battle of Bunker Hill. Yes, Caleb caught him and became the aide-de-camp to the general. We end our brief tour here. I declare our flower hunt a success on a cool April afternoon.

In the background, statue of Revolutionary soldier Caleb Stark

Now as the days grow warmer and longer, I grab my laptop and sit on the deck or by the windows. I dream of gardens rioting with color and stories filled with challenges and sometimes danger where love conquers all.

Before I sign off, I wanted to let you know my newest book, Christmas at the Easy Breezy will be in pre-order in June. The characters will celebrate with an outdoor spring wedding! Maybe you'll spot a daffodil.
Love to all,
~ Nora

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