Sanctuary

My sister and I spent the morning at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center, founded in 1982 as the National Wildflower Research Center by the former First Lady and actress Helen Hayes to protect and preserve North America's native plants and natural landscapes. The Center's name was changed in 1998 to honor Mrs. Johnson and in 2006 it became a research unit of The University of Texas at Austin.

M and I enjoyed strolling in the various gardens, even though there were fewer flowers than usual, due to Austin's hard winter. It was interesting to see plants so different from those I see in the verdant Pacific Northwest, and to imagine how much a bit of shade or a flowering shrub might mean to people in this much warmer climate.

I cannot imagine a more peaceful place to be in the midst of the myriad emotions experienced at the thought of our beloved Blipfoto community disappearing. If I had been at home over the past week, I would have been glued to my computer, writing comments and saving as many of my blips as possible, as well as those from friends here that I've bookmarked over the past few years.

It's been deeply moving to read how much Blipfoto means (I will not use past tense until I have to) to all of us. This crisis has strengthened those bonds, and contingency plans have been made by many to ensure that those bonds will not be lost. I took a quick look at the 365Project and plan to sign up once I'm home again, but I'm fervently hoping that I won't have to continue my journal on that less attractive site.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best.