Spring inspired gift

A colleague and friend sent me a beautiful thank you gift a couple of weeks ago.  It was a lovely surprise and really unique.

I have blogged before about my love of spring flowers.  Tulips are that classic spring flower that always give me a lot of joy.  And since we are still a few weeks away from having spring flowers in the yard, and since we are still in winter with some cold temperatures, having a little spring on my desk helped brighten my mood.

Plus, you have to love the purple!

So, check out this great gift.  I love it because it was like a little science experiment on my desk, though I knew the outcome - the flowers would bloom if I kept a little water in the vase.

The flowers arrived in this vase with a little water in the bottom, the bulbs held above the water by a plastic frog, and the buds ready to bloom.  In just a day or so, the flowers blossomed and they showed off some flashy blooms.

 The tulips lasted a long time and were really fun to watch bloom. I am so thankful for the beautiful gift.

Good neighbors

Jeremy and I are blessed to have the best neighbors! Today, they played Easter bunny and brought us the sweetest gift that was waiting in the garage after work.

A couple of weeks ago, we shared 18 eggs in an oversized carton. Today, our neighbors returned the carton with our bantam egg shells filled with pansies. Each egg cup had Easter grass and if the cup did not have an egg shell with a flower, it had a chocolate egg! What a sweet (and absolutely perfect) thing for them to do!

It reminds me of a story from several years back that my Grandpa Harsch told me. A young farmer and his wife moved down the road from his farm. (Grandpa lived in town, but still farmed and had his old farm house, equipment shed, a garden, and all the makings for a full-scale operation just outside of town.) The young farmer needed to borrow some equipment and my Grandpa gave the go ahead. When he returned the implement, the young farmer took out his checkbook and prepared to pay my Grandpa. My Grandpa refused and said, "Let's just be good neighbors."

I have carried that sentiment with me. It's simplicy speaks to the best of rural life. I love having that story as part of my legacy and we are so blessed to have neighbors share the same value.