Marianna's Blog

Eau de Ebony
Lessons & Reflections from the National Butterfly Center
The sweetness is starting to return to my life, and boy, is it delicious! Over the past six months it’s been difficult to appreciate much of the good stuff that’s crossed my path, but the intoxicating fragrance of the Texas Ebony in bloom has awakened me to the richness of life, once again.
Last year was a real doozy and the lessons I learned were bitter, at best. I came to understand how grief can blind a person to beauty and leave one attuned to pain and sadness. This awful state makes it nearly impossible to experience pleasure or indulge in delightful pastimes, as the world becomes dull and the body longs for numbness.
What a kick in the pants it was when the sharp, tingly aroma of citrus, unexpectedly resurrected me! It jolted my senses with sensational overtures, playful and enticing as a burlesque dancer, and my nose ushered in excitement for the first time in a long time.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!
Lessons & Reflections from the National Butterfly Center
Following the wettest fall and winter on record in 25 years, we appear to be in the midst of setting another record; this time for the wettest spring. While it was exciting and encouraging to end the drought that has plagued much of the nation, this dreary, drizzly weather is both unfamiliar and unrelenting. I believe the rest of the nation will agree with me when I say, “Winter, you have over-stayed your welcome.”