lupine is my first floral childhood memory.. it’s pungent scent brings me back to my hometown, suojärvi. i still remember where all the wild patches around the neighbourhood were, where we were trying to find the rare ones – in pink. i’ve grown and some days i am feeling myself like miss rumphius (barbara cooney).. so here is a heartfelt part from this book and few watercolors (postcards are here!) from one summer ago.

‘lupines,’ said miss rumphius with satisfaction, ‘i have always loved lupines the best, i wish i could plant more seeds this summer so that i could have still more flowers next year.’

but she was not able to.

after a hard winter spring came. miss rumphius was feeling much better. now she could cake walks again. One afternoon she started to go up and over the hill, where she had not been in a long time.

‘i don’t believe my eyes!’ she cried when she got to the top. for there on the other side of the hill was a large patch of blue and purple and rose-colored lupines!

‘it was the wind,’ she said as she knelt in delight. ‘it was the wind that brought the seeds from my garden here! and the birds must have helped!’

then miss rumphius had a wonderful idea!

she hurried home and got out her seed catalogues . she sent off to the very best seed house for five bushels of lupine seed.

all that summer miss rumphius, her pockets full of seeds, wandered over fields and headlands, sowing lupines. she scattered seeds along the highways and down the country lanes. she flung handfuls of them around the schoolhouse and back of the church. she tossed them into hollows and along stone walls.

her back didn’t hurt her any more at all.

now some people called her that crazy old lady.

the next spring there were lupines everywhere. fields and hillsides were covered with blue and purple and rose-colored flowers. they bloomed along the highways and down the lanes. bright patches lay around the schoolhouse and back of the church. down in the hollows and along the stone walls grew the beautiful flowers…

three strong and tall candles! not only because of their shape, but the whole waxy structure. northern candles they are, burning dimly…

some dark violet purple ones.

some tricks with leaves. double leaf, unfurling leaf, just leaves like palm trees…

люпины – мои первые цветочные детские воспоминания. не выбирая любимого цветка, так получилось, что сиреневый люпин, именно дикий сине-сиреневый люпин стал моим главным цветком. его аромат, такой терпкий, даже резкий, и узнаваемый, часто можно почувствовать издалека, как можно почувствовать земляничную поляну. вдоль железной дороги, по дороге на озеро, на склоне у библиотеки…