Hanging nasturtiums at Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum

The moon rose waxy yellow in the sky. I wiped down the car windows, got in , turned on the defoggers, the lights, the music, and the windshield wipers for good measure. Good thing for a coyote soon crossed the road on the opposite lane, then ran up the yellow dividing line on the highway, before crossing my lane. I braked,waiting for it to lope back to the woods.

The morning was still pitch black, but it was the first warm day in a long while. It would hit 72 in the city,but not for hours yet. Now, a frightened doe hopped across the highway. I just made the bus, and bus made it to the city early, where I worked for several hours before heading out to the Fenway.

April 14  is Isabella Stewart Gardener‘s birthday, and the nasturtiums are up at the Gardner Museum.  Anytime of the year, if your name is Isabella, you can attend the Gardner for free.

The flowers are carefully tended over the winter, and their voluminous lengths are carried like Vassar’s graduation Daisy Chain to hang from the balconies of the museum. They are only around for a few precious weeks , and last year, there had been some horticultural problem. Now, they blaze bright, plumes of orange and yellow and green, rich as Rapunzel’s hair, were it made entirely of flowers.

If you are in the area, run to the Gardner, but not on Tuesdays, when they close.

There’s also cake in the cafe, made with nasturtiums and strawberries.