By Seda

One thing I love to reminisce about are all the picture books I read when I was young. Some of them expressed morals and lessons, some were adventure tales, my favorites were the ones full of interesting detailed illustrations. Some of my most memorable include Ferdinand the Bull and Strega Nona, among many others.

Seeing all the lupine flowers out in the rolling green hills reminded me of a book I totally forgot about. It's about Miss Rumphius, who, after a life of travels, returns to her seaside community in Maine where she takes long walks over the hills next to the sea spreading lupine seeds everywhere she goes. Everyone thinks she's crazy until spring rolls around and the hills are blooming with lupine. She is thereafter dubbed the Lupine Lady.

I incorrectly assumed this story took place in California, as we have rolling green hills sprinkled with lupine but apparently we are not the only ones so privileged. I do like to imagine that here on the west coast we have our own version of the Lupine Lady, though she might take the form of the birds and the wind spreading the seed of lupine across the hills.