For my sister Tara on her birthday

My older sister Tara used to tow me around to pick violets this time of year. I remember how she showed me that you had to shimmy your finger down far enough to get part of the stem and not just nip off the bright bit at the top. We always had them in early May in Iowa, so I'm puzzled that I'm seeing so many of them in mid-March in Switzerland!

I have been taking early morning walks because the weather is magnificent - you can see some photos of the St. Prex dock on my Tribune de Geneve blog. But the best part is seeing the violets open up. They suddenly create a carpet of rich purple as the sun stretches over Lake Geneva. The flowers are on a slope next to the waterfront. The green bench with the village's fleur-de-lys crest is a wonderful spot to sit and watch the water, violets quietly nodding their heads behind you.

Happy birthday, Tara!