Welcome to JOYFUL REFLECTIONS. Also welcome to MARCH!!!! My header picture this month is a photo I took of the pretty Crocus blooms in our yard... The Crocuses and Daffodils are the first signs of spring here in Tennessee. I am definitely ready for SPRING...

Friday, March 20, 2009

Spring in Middle Tennessee


Hendersonville, TN is north of Nashville and about an two and a half hours from where we live on the Cumberland Plateau. George and I went to Hendersonville yesterday to check on his parents (whom are FINE, thank God). We noticed when we got there that that area is about a week or more ahead of us when it comes to the Spring colors. I was amazed at the beauty especially the Bradford Pears and the Forsythia. SO---I took some pictures and will share them with you. Above is a gorgeous picture of one of the many, many Bradford Pears in bloom in Hendersonville. NO--that's not SNOW... That's beautiful white blossoms!!!! Pretty, huh? There are more pictures below. (Don't forget to click on the pictures to make them larger.)



These are Daffodils blooming in Mom and Dad Adams' yard. Do you realize how many names there are for Daffodils? I grew up in VA calling them Jonquils. Others call them Narcissus and some even call them Buttercups. What do you call them in your area of the country????







The Forsythia in Hendersonville was also in full bloom. Ours here in Fairfield Glade is just beginning to bloom. I love seeing the Cardinals 'hiding' in the Forsythia bushes at our house.



I love this picture---not just not the Bradford Pear --but especially the sky. We had a gorgeous day to travel to and from Hendersonville.



More Daffodils in Mom and Dad's yard; I love seeing them in BIG groups.



Here's one more picture of the beautiful yellow Forsythia.



A close-up of the beautiful white blossoms on the Bradford Pear trees


Lastly, I leave you with the picture of the front of the church (First United Methodist Church) in Hendersonville --which is the last church where I worked as Associate Minister in charge of Adult Christian Education. This is where I met George... I only worked here for 2 1/2 yrs. since I retired in 2003 and we moved to Fairfield Glade. Hope you had a great day yesterday like we did.
Hugs,

52 comments:

Jayne said...

Daffodils here! :c) Love all the blooming things, and it just seems as if everything has literally exploded into bloom in the past few days. Yippeeee... spring is here!!

Jane said...

Buttercups here! I loved the pictures!

Jane

Cedar ... said...

Daffodils here,.... and that's the kind of "white" I'm yearning for now. We're still in the "brown" stage where snow has melted, but nothing is green except a few patches of moss. Another month for us!

T said...

I love TN in the spring (well, let's be honest....anytime!).

Thank you for giving me a little shot of home!

T


PS. Jonquils

Rose said...

Oh, Betsy, these were beautiful...and the one you loved with the pear against the sky...that is my favorite also. It is wonderful.

Kim said...

Such vivid spring colors! Love the pear tree!

Unknown said...

Lovely photos, I will be glad when my Daffs are in large clumps..in a couple of years. Glad George's folks are fine, I was thinking about you all. I believe that all Daffs, Paperwhites and all of the sort are Narcissus, then the individual flowers have different names..........

Diane AZ said...

Hi Betsy, I enjoyed your pictures of pretty spring blooms in Hendersonville. Bradford pear, Forsythia, and daffodils are not usually grown here in the desert. It really is interesting to see how different spring looks in other places.

I Am Woody said...

I love blooms! Any and all kinds of blooms!!

PS - Buttercups!

Shelley said...

I can't get over how beautiful that Bradford Pear tree is! I wonder if they grow in Mich - I don't think so. Loved seeing the daffodils too - Maybe mine will pop up in another month! Until then, I'll enjoy yours! Glad to hear George's parents are doing well!

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Betsy: Those are really neat signs of Spring. That pear tree could be in trouble in freezing weather but the Spring flowers will get through fine.

Susie said...

Betsy those blooms are beautiful. Our bradford pears and forsythia have finished blooming and the azaleas are now "showing off".

Mostly we call them daffodils down here. But we do hear the other names as well.

Hope you have a wonderful "sunny" weekend!

ShabbyInTheCity said...

I've turned my blog off...don't think I've blocked you, okay? I may return soon :)

SmilingSally said...

What beautiful pictures of spring in Hendersonville. I've visited there and so it's extra special.

Ruth's Photo Blog said...

We call them daffodils.Whatever the name they are pretty.The pear tree against the sky is gorgeous as are all the pictures.
Blessings,Ruth

Photojenni said...

Yes Betsy the Bradford Pears are in full bloom here in Kingsport too. We came out of McDonald the other night and was parked under full bloom pear trees. With the street light lighting them up ..it did indeed look like Snow. I chuckled and said, "Look It SNOWED!" Great Pictures as always!
Pj

NCmountainwoman said...

Lovely pictures. We also love driving to areas that are "ahead" of us in the coming of spring. That way, we feel like we have experienced it much longer.

Glad the folks are well.

Beth said...

What gorgeous pictures, Betsy! I especially love the pure white of the Bradford Pear against that beautiful spring sky. And, of course, the cheerful yellow of the forsythia always fills me with hope. Thanks for a lovely taste of spring!

I also enjoyed the hike at Lake Catherine--what a special place! And it looks like y'all had it to yourselves...

Anonymous said...

Such beautiful flowers - I love seeing everyone's spring pictures - it really makes me feel good that spring is here!!!

Anonymous said...

Such a beautiful, clear sky for your visit yesterday. All the blooms are spectacular. Glad the Adams' were doing well. You and George have a great weekend!

Loran said...

That pear tree is spectacular! Wow, thanks for sharing all those beautiful blooms.

Jen said...

Happy First Day of Spring to you and George!
This post sure got me in the mood! :)

Anonymous said...

In Michigan waaaay back in the day, the yellow ones were daffs, and the white were narcissus.

Diane said...

Hi, Betsy, Beautiful pictures. I bet the pear trees smell heavenly. Most of us around here say daffodils, the ones that call them jonquils are usually foreigners (just a joke). Have a great day.

Pat - Arkansas said...

Beautiful Bradford Pears!

Most folks here call them daffodils, but my mama always called them jonquils.

Cicero Sings said...

Glad the folk were fine! Beautiful signs of spring. What a neat looking church you used to work at! Extra special cuz George went there!

Anonymous said...

What a pretty set of pics Betsy! I can't wait (I've I think I've said a million times!) for spring around here. It has been sunny a lot which is great, it lifts the spirits even if its still chilly:)

Karin said...

Loved all your pictures! This was just what my heart needed today. It's taking so long for spring to come up here. I googled the daffodils, jonquils, narcissus and buttercups! It's just amazing all the different varieties! I can't begin to differentiate them all! Love everyone of them though! Thanks for sharing!!

Love,
Karin

EG CameraGirl said...

I can almost smell the blossoms! These photos make me feel very happy. Thank you for posting them.

PS
I'm glad George's parents are doing well.

Busy Bee Suz said...

Such beautiful pictures...I love those cherry blossoms. Too bad we can't mix those in with our palm trees down here. :0
The church is very pretty too...I know it is a special place for you.
You should rename it Destiny Church.
Suz

Carol Murdock said...

Hi Betsy.........Great shots! We call them Buttercups or Daffodils.
I enjoyed your post on Hot Springs too! There and Eureka Springs are two more of my favorite places!I love to stay at The Arlington in Hot Springs and The Cresent Hotel in Eureka springs!
xoxo,
Carol

Anonymous said...

It was nice seeing Spring through your eyes, Betsy. Thank you.

Janie said...

I'm sure that church holds some very special memories.
Beautiful blooms! We're still waiting here, but I don't think it'll be much longer before we have some blossoms.
I call them daffodils, but I've heard jonquils, too.

Leedra said...

Thanks for taking us along on your trip. I think the Bradford Pears look more like snow this year than they usually do. Sometimes the cold gets the blooms before they get to their peak. They are so pretty this year.

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Creations by Marie Antoinette and Edie Marie said...

I remember how beautifdul springtime was in Tenn.I loved it.Your photos are awesome.I miss living there.I just missed homemore.XXOO Marie Antionette

Anonymous said...

Betsy, I'm glad you found George's parents well. I sure they were tickled to see you.
What lovely pix of the blooming trees & such. Tn. is so pretty in the Spring or anytime for me.
Buttercups is all I've called them.

Anonymous said...

Such pretty pictures. I can't wait for the daffodils to start blooming around here!

Anonymous said...

Such pretty pictures. I can't wait for the daffodils to start blooming around here!

Neal said...

What can I say.....those are just beautiful! Nothing compares to good old mother nature.

Wendy said...

What beautiful pics you post for the first day of Spring!! A sight for sore eyes. I love the forsythia. And the trees in blossom and of course the daffodils. They are my very favourite of all the spring flowers.
Hugs
Glad you had a good trip.

Mary said...

Wow...a lot of lovely spring beauty! Love the church where you met George.

HWHL said...

Don't you LOVE Spring? To me, Spring is God's yearly proclamation that "Yes, Life SHOULD continue!" ... and I'm so glad he still feels that way about us! :)

(and to think... he gives us all this amazing beauty... just to gaze upon! as his word says, "he lavishes us with his love" - how true!)

Oh yes - and I'm a HUGE Dave Ramsey fan as well! Not debt free YET... but one day I WILL be calling and yelling (with glee) on the radio! LOVE Dave.... wish we could get him to run our country!

CountryDreaming said...

The first photo of the Bradford Pear Trees is so awesome that it makes me want to click on it to "make it a favorite" the way I would if you were to post it on the Flickr photography website. Making something a favorite allows me to give it a special star. This certainly deserves one.

Grammy said...

Bradford Pears were in bloom every where we went in Tennessee. It was amazing.

Stephanie Suzanne Designs said...

Hello Betsy,

How's the weather on the Cumberland Plateau?...I'm outside of Memphis right now. We are hopefully going to get the rest of our stuff moved in May.

I'll be soooooo glad to get to Gatlinburg and enjoy some wilderness...this city is killing me..LOL

Drop by my blog and give me a personal weather report. :0)

Stephanie
Queen of Dreamsz

Mandy said...

Since we are only 30 minutes southwest of Hendersonville, the trees and bushes look just like that around here!

We grew up calling daffodils buttercups - and I still do!

Mandy

Anonymous said...

Soon your hikes will be filed with wildflowers.

Anonymous said...

filled

Bj said...

Hello Betsy! Your pictures are so nice. Yes it is alive with spring blooms here. The deer are so fat, don't you think so? They are a different color from the one's in your neighborhood. I'd sure love to have deer close by. I see them in the fields but not in the woods behind the house. I can't wait to see your pictures once the babies start arriving. :) Love baby anythings. Glad to hear your in-laws are well.
(((Betsy)))
Bj

Small City Scenes said...

Wow!!! There is a lot of blooming going on there in your neck of the woods. MB

Meems said...

Hi Betsy,
doing a little bit of catching up here. I have really enjoyed looking at the Bradford Pears and Forsythia in bloom. Don't ever see those this far south. :-( WE don't grow daffodils either and I never really even thought of them until I started blogging and saw them on so many blogs. It's nice for the part of the country that has been snowed under all winter to have those perky colors popping out everywhere this time of year. Love the church pic.

Love the photos and story from Lake Catherine, too. And the deer roaming in the post above. Glad George's parents were okay when you returned home.
blessings to you!
Meems @ Hoe and Shovel

Connie said...

I'm ooohing and aaaahhhing at all the beautiful blooms and blossoms there. We're not quite there yet. It is still too early, but we are getting closer. Welcoe springtime! :D