Sunday, May 17, 2009

My Bloom Time is Up

Tulips

I LOVE tulips and daffodils and all the other fun Spring bulbs. Here is a picture of one of my tulip groupings that is blooming right now. I have 8 groupings scattered around the front flower beds.

The bulbs withstand the cold of Colorado’s winters and come up every year. They even bloom with snow all around them. Though, I find it interesting how short their bloom time is. The Dutch bulb company states:

Depending on the weather, they should bloom for 1 to 4 weeks. If it is a dry hot spring they may bloom and wilt in say 7 days. If the spring is wet and cold or cool, the bloom could last for up to a month.

Isn’t that a short bloom time! Here they are hibernating, waiting and then only have a week to shine sometimes. (Even less if there are toddlers ready to pick them). Then they die and use their own leaves and other organic matter in the soil to replenish them and give them the nutrients that the bulbs need. That’s why you should never pick the leaves, but instead let them mulch down into the ground.

Blooming2

ANYWAY, I feel like the tulip. I was released today as YW President. Although my bloom time was a little longer than a week, three years to be exact! My time to shine and bloom is over. I now need to nourish myself and prepare for the next time I’m needed to bloom. I remember a talk once where a sister had brought in a gorgeous flower basket with a variety of colors and flowers. She had talked on how each flower blooms in it’s own time and then when it’s done, the foilage from it is used to accentuate the next flower that is blooming. The basket was beautiful because of the variety. She compared that to each one of us how we have our turns to shine and bloom and then we have to stand back and let others add their variety and uniqueness. Each of us has such special talents to share and give, that’s what makes life so fun learning from sooo many different people.

Blooming

Anyway, my bloom time is up. I love my young women and sure will miss working with them. Each of them are special to me in their own way!

And can I close by saying one more time how much I love Spring. I had so much fun this evening walking around taking these pictures of all the beauty blooming right outside my door! And that apple blossom picture, better turn into an apple picture by this Fall!!!

5 comments:

tren said...

Did you know that at Temple Square, they dig up all the flower bulbs and plant new ones every year?!

Unknown said...

I did just hear that and that they give away all their old bulbs. Isn't that interesting that they would go to all that work EVERY year for flowers that only bloom a short time!

T.Irwin said...

finicky bulbs...half my tulips came up and went away after a week. Then I had a second group decide to come out - they were gorgeous for about 3 days when someone decided to run through them and killed them all....so sad.

This weekend I'll be planting some of my summer bulbs.

Jennie Blaser said...

i love your pictures and analogy -- so do you have a new calling yet? I bet your YW are sad! I got your e-mail about not sleeping. I'm not sure what exactly is finally helping me, but I was anemic (so I take IRON) and B12 and I also stopped doing anything mentally stimulating for like an hour before bedtime -- to let my body and mind just relax. hope it helps!

Becki Madsen said...

Shauna,
What beautiful pictures! I know you were an amazing YW President and did a wonderful job with those girls...now you can have a little sigh of relief even though it is still hard!