Huisache, Acacia farnesiana

Recently when some young ladies complimented me on my outfit, saying, "You look springy," I wondered how in the world they knew what spring looks like--really looks like.  

Here in south Texas, there are green things all "winter" long, there are flowers blooming, and sometimes you even walk around your neighborhood in the evening darkness looking at Christmas lights without wearing a coat.

In a world like that, how can they know what spring means?  The kind that bursts forth in full bloom after months of gray, the kind of green that replaces the brown, the kind that brings out yellow flowers first, as if knowing you need something the color of the sun after the weeks and weeks of long nights and short days?

Over the last few weeks, though, I've been delighted to see some distinctly south Texan signs of spring.  Many of the trees do bring out a new coat of leaves to celebrate the season, and the neighborhoods are full of flowering trees I've never seen before.  And wonder of wonders, while we have had no tulips or daffodils, there are Whole Outdoor Flowerbeds full of Amaryllises, which I've only ever seen grown indoors, one at a time.

It did not once occur to me that there would be a place in the world where such things were possible.

These yellow-blooming trees were among my new delights a few weeks ago.  Their soft, puff-ball blossoms smelled sweet, cascading down the full height of their tall trees along the city's exercise trail.  

I didn't know what they were until a friend told my husband about a yellow blooming tree named Huisache, whose flowered branches his grandmother brought into his bedroom in bouquets when he had colds, to help him heal faster.  I'm quite sure he was talking about the trees beside the walking trail.

And isn't it just like our heavenly Father, to tuck health and healing into the scents of blooming and beautiful branches of trees, abundantly available for our use and enjoyment?

Of course, I don't know if there has been a scientific study to show the health benefits of the Huisache scent, but I wouldn't be the least surprised to find out that their blossoms, especially combined with fresh air and good ventilation, really would help cleanse a room and the people in it.