By VERNA BROCK
I genuinely hope we’ve had the dreaded, the legendary, “last cold-snap before Easter” now. The whipsnapping between nearly ninety and forty-five degrees is getting old. Once it gets really warm for a few days, the sap begins to rise and plants start to “wake up.” All that tender growth can’t handle a sudden cold plunge. Not to mention, I’m not overly fond of the fluctuating temperatures for myself either!
Lately, I drive past ditches full of wild lilies and thistles getting ready to burst into full purple regalia. The grandfather greybeards and dogwoods are in full bloom, strewn through the forests like freshly laundered linens blowing in the breeze. Wild azaleas, in shades of orange and pink, dot the countryside. Yellow jasmine is beginning to bloom, and tiny wildflowers in fuchsia, blue, white and yellow are abuzz with bees collecting nectar and honey.
Sometimes my eye spies old abandoned homesites where ancient formosan azaleas and stands of amaryllis continue to bloom. Of course, purple wisteria climbs every pine, and festoons every oak tree, in abundance. Wild white roses the size of saucers, wend in and out of fences and shrubs. I love Springtime in all its glory, with fresh greens of new growth and leaves unfurling, before our eyes, every day.
It’s also the time of year our skies fill with swallowtailed kites and hawks of every description. The kites, once thought to be gone from our area, seem more plentiful every Spring. Casa Brock has at least one long term pair of hawks that nest here each Spring. Songbirds are migrating northward with the warming weather. Early every morning, a cacophony of sweet music from crows, cardinals, blue jays, mockingbirds, bluebirds and robins (to name just a few) greets me.
Evenings bring the nightly concerts provided by an amphibious chorus filled with every voice, from tenors to bassos profundos. They gather around the pond and sing their little hearts out. Every now and then a rooster or peacock decides to join in for emphasis. If I’m lucky, a few lightning bugs will be flitting about, lighting the darkness. All in all, Spring is my favorite season!
Maundy Thursday services will be held at the Woodville United Methodist Church at 6 p.m. On Saturday the congregation will host an Easter egg hunt at 11 a.m., followed by lunch. Free and open to the public, everyone is welcome.
On Easter Sunday, there will be a sunrise service at 7, at the Wakulla UMC, followed by light refreshments in the fellowship hall. The Woodville UMC will celebrate Easter at its regular 11 a.m. service. Everyone is invited to join us, at whichever service suits you!
This past week our children threw us an anniversary party to celebrate 50 years of marriage at Wakulla Springs. It was a lovely evening, in one of my very favorite places on Earth. Not only that, it was especially festive as the location for Wakulla High School’s 2026 Prom!
I couldn’t resist contemplating how much the world has changed in the past fifty years. Even though it seems like yesterday, fifty years is a long time. As someone who loves and studies history, it has been quite a journey. My generation bears witness to some of the most tumultuous events in the country’s life, as did my parents’ and grandparents’ generations, ad infinitum. All of this, even as we prepare to celebrate the sesquisemiquincentennial (fancy for 250th anniversary!) of the United States’ birth.
What is the old curse? “May ye live in interesting times”? Perhaps the truth is that we always live in interesting times, regardless of when those times occur. Methinks our times may become more interesting every day. I can’t wait to watch it all unfold, for the most part. After all, as a species, humanity has always chosen to live with a certain amount of denial to keep leaping fearlessly forward. Why should that change now? Are you ready for the future? It’s coming, ready or not!