Beautiful Threat

  While the past few nights have been cool with temperatures in the 40s, spring seems to have plopped down upon us almost overnight.  At least, I hope it is here and we have no sudden surprises that will ruin all this gorgeousness.  The citrus trees are in full bloom, as are the plum, peach and pear trees.  The fig trees are all budded and my yard looks amazing!  Well, at least if you do not look where Son and I are doing our construction work, it is pretty.  So if you come to the Bayou, stand with your back to my pile of flooring that is being stained and look at the lovely azaleas!  That is what Mr. PJ, the old dog, did while out strolling about the yard.  He sniffed every azalea bloom in the entire yard, I believe!

  For my whole life, I have been warned that the leaves and blooms of an azalea bush are highly poisonous.  Pop would always tell us to make sure that we never fed any part of the bush to the farm animals.  I pondered this fact since cows do get out of their pens occasionally.  Did one ever get a wild hair notion to sample a leaf or a pretty bloom?  Is that how Pop knew such tidbits of wisdom?  But, I always believed him and eventually passed that bit of information along to my kids. 

   Azaleas are poisonous...enough said.  Still, I can never resist picking a huge bouquet for the living room each spring.  BUT!  Did you know that there is a bit of lore that goes along with the poisonous azalea?  It seems that if you gift someone a black vase filled with the blooms it is as good as a death threat!  Note here...it has to be a black vase.  It cannot be a grimy hand of a sweet child with a few battered sprigs of the blooms nor can it be a pink vase (or white, clear, blue vase or even a bucket).  It has to be a black vase.  So...is it the poisonous azaleas that are the death threat or simply the black vase?  Hmmm?  I ponder...