Forsythia

Some imagine Santa Claus who as a being capable of visiting thousands of homes with packages of presents for good little girls and boys. The same imagination can invent an alchemical superman, perhaps named King Midas, who turns every spindly bush, or lush years-old hedge of forsythia golden overnight. That superman was here over the weekend.

As I drove home today and even as I had a brief detour because of road work, I discovered, dots, dollops, spreads, hedges, fountains and miracles of gold all over town in yards, beside houses, dividing lawns. Everywhere I looked behold -- GOLD! Such abundance. For perhaps a week our eyes will be dazzled with these untamed splotches of color. Then the leaves will pop out and we will forget that those bushes were ever so miraculous.