As Young as Spring by Veronica Jorge
March 22, 2026 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as bloom, refresh, Spring, Veronica Jorge, youth
Don’t spend money on green drinks, wrinkle creams, and hair dyes to take out the grey. It’s Springtime. Immerse yourself in nature and rejuvenate!
And of course, read a book. Here are a few titles guaranteed to make you flower and bloom.
Paradise Under Glass: The Education of An Indoor Gardener by Ruth Kassinger relates the author’s personal story of loss and how she found emotional healing in creating an indoor garden.
The Last Garden in England by Julia Kelly is the tale of three women in three different time periods and how the one garden they inhabit reveals secrets and changes lives.
The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl, art by Billy Renkl takes the reader on a journey through the four seasons asking us to stop and notice the natural world around us that will cleanse, redeem, and take our breath away.
The Hidden Life of Trees by Peter Wohlleben. Did you know that trees talk to each other?! This book brings us into the secret world of how trees feel, how they communicate, support each other, share nutrients, and even warn each other of dangers.
For history enthusiasts, nature lovers, and those who enjoy learning new things American Canopy: Trees, Forest, and the Making of a Nation by Eric Rutkow, relates how trees were essential to the early years of the United States and contributed a great deal to the nation’s rise as an empire and as a civilization.
For the youngsters in your life consider the following picture books. (Adults will like them too. I certainly do.)
The Extraordinary Gardener by Sam Broughton, a story about a young boy seeking color in a dreary world. He plants a seed on his balcony and when he least expects it, something extraordinary happens.
All Around Us by Xelena Gonzalez, illustrated by Adraina M. Garcia, is a warm and tender intergenerational story of a grandfather teaching his granddaughter about our connection with the earth, the parts that we can and cannot see, and the amazing circle of life.
The Weedy Garden by Margaret Renkl, illustrated by Billy Renkl is a lavish spread of art and imagination as the reader explores a backyard filled with hungry squirrels, busy bumblebees and sleepy fireflies, among other wonderful creatures waiting to be discovered.
A good title for Women’s History Month and for Black History Month is, Bring Me Some Apples and I’ll Make You a Pie: A Story About Edna Lewis by Robin Gourley. Edna was a descendant of slaves who grew up to become a famous chef. In September of 2014, she was honored on a United States Postage Stamp as part of the Celebrity Chefs series. The book also includes a few kid-friendly recipes.
The Comic Book Guide to Growing Food by Joseph Tychonievish, illustrated by Liz Anna Kozik, is a graphic novel guide for ages 4-7, (I found it very helpful too), of how to grow a successful vegetable garden.
So, spend more time outdoors in nature this year. It can help to ease stress and diminish the worry lines and wrinkles on your face and forehead, and turn your frown downside up into a smile.
Take a walk and put a spring in your step.
Smell a flower; it’s a new perfume.
Sit in the yard or in a park and enjoy a free musical bird song concert. Or take a restful nap. Forty winks can work wonders.
And try planting a few seeds of comfort and hope in someone else’s life.
You’ll feel as young as Spring!
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on April 22nd!
Books Reviewed by Veronica
Lost and Found by Veronica Jorge
January 22, 2024 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as flowers, Friendship, poetry, Spring, Winter
Winter. Lifeless, asleep, dead. All is gone. Lost. Until the last frost melts away. A sprig peeks up through the earth and winks at the sky. Buds and flowers appear bearing gifts of fruitfulness. Year after year, spring arrives; ever the same, dependable, faithful. Life renews. Time passes. Distance separates. But vibrant colors burst through the faded tapestry of memories. Friendship. Never-ending, never-waning. Ever alive.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on February 22nd!
Books Reviewed by Veronica
Sunflowers by Neetu
January 26, 2022 by Neetu Malik in category Poet's Day by Neetu Malik tagged as Neetu, renewal, Spring, Sunflowers, Winter
Sunflowers
I will plant sunflowers
in the hollows we have dug
with a rusty spade
it is time to pull old roots
rotten with dead habit
in this neglected garden
long-choked
by winter’s breath
it is time to till the soil
let it soak in fresh April rain
steam in this year’s sun
and exhale pungent fumes
until its pores are free
to seed new grass
and soft beds for my flowers.
© Neetu Malik
Some of Neetu’s Books
Lost and Found by Veronica Jorge
July 22, 2021 by Veronica Jorge in category Write From the Heart by Veronica Jorge tagged as flowers, Friendship, poetry, Spring, WinterWinter. Lifeless, asleep, dead. All is gone. Lost. Until the last frost melts away. A sprig peeks up through the earth and winks at the sky. Buds and flowers appear bearing gifts of fruitfulness. Year after year, spring arrives; ever the same, dependable, faithful. Life renews. Time passes. Distance separates. But vibrant colors burst through the faded tapestry of memories. Friendship. Never-ending, never-waning. Ever alive.
Veronica Jorge
See you next time on August 22nd!
Gentle Tread of Spring – 4 Haiku
May 26, 2021 by Neetu Malik in category Poet's Day by Neetu Malik tagged as flowers, Haiku, Neetu, Spring
Gentle Tread of Spring
4 Haiku
redbud blooms quietly
as I sleep through last frost
at first blush of dawn
samaras tumble down
faster than I sweep, so I
let them rain on me
cardinal perches,
my heart lifts from winter gloom,
soaring as it soars
wisteria blooms
outside in soft morning light–
my soul company
© Neetu Malik
Some of Neetu’s Books
Featured Books
INTIMATE RELATIONS
A woman in a window. A cop out of his element. A crime of unimaginable passion.
More info →
FOREIGN RELATIONS
A foreign woman is dead, two countries want her forgotten. Detective Finn O'Brien wants justice.
More info →
