Lilacs

I lived in Ann Arbor, Michigan growing up, roughly between the ages of 6-9.  My father was professor at the University.  We had walked to school in a neighborhood that had sidewalks, had a  July 4th parade that the kids put on, everybody knew each other on the block and for all intensive purposes I was completely free there.  I drove my bike everywhere from the local drug store to a friends house.  We ran the streets.  I even put on a concert in my backyard with a friend that I enlisted to make money.

We had a small backyard with a tiny clover shaped cement pond that I believe was to put fish in that came with the house.  Thinking about it now, I wonder exactly what was the thought behind that watering hole.  We also had a great tree for climbing but the best part was the lilac from the neighbors backyard. 

Our neighbor had a bunch of huge lilac trees that would drape into our backyard during the  season when the branches were overcome with lilac.  I just loved that lilac.  The smell, the color and how it represented the beginning of spring.  Today, lilacs are still my favorite.  Seeing them on the corners of the local delis around NYC says spring is here. 

I saw my first bunch on Friday and couldn’t help but take a picture.  Lilacs send me back to a world that I grew up in and am pretty sure doesn’t exist today like it did back then.