the Lilacs are here!

Finally- the harbinger of summer has come- and bloomed, everywhere you go around here the houses are filled with Lilacs this time of year, there's nothing quite like the smell of them, sweet and heady and fresh, and so fragrant. I love them, and we have quite a big hedge so I cut as much as I want- also, because they're so fragrant the cats leave them alone, they nibble on the green leaves- but leave the blooms alone, so they can actually sit in areas that the cats can reach! (does anyone else have cats that pick at flowers? is it just mine? Nelson will run through the house with a flower in his mouth like a demented tango dancer- ridiculous)

Anyhow, I've been wondering if the lilac obsession is a regional thing, something that only people in Manitoba go crazy for, some sort of regional bacchanal celebration that doesn't occur elsewhere. Maybe because we have such extreme seasons, we Manitobans tend to go a little nuts over flowers, almost all of us have flowers, in planters or beds, apartment balconies, wherever- it's like we have to make the most of it, and lilac season is the same- we all bring them in- anyone with access to lilacs has them in their house for sure. It's part of why I love Manitoba- one of the sensory memories that has always stuck with me, even when I lived elsewhere- the smell of Lilacs is nostalgia itself for me, bringing me back to my old house, and my mom- and I hope it's the same for my sweet girl.