I often walk through the Perth Amboy Jefferson Street Parking lot adjacent to the Amboy Mall. There is also a small mini park nearby where I was surprised to see that the benches were removed. In the late spring and summertime, it was a good spot to rest and have something cool to drink. I don’t know if the benches were removed to be replaced but I hope to see them come back.

For some reason I have been noticing the beauty of nature more than usual. Could it be the after effects of what I refer to Superstorm Sandy Syndrome. Like the Phoenix Bird it rises from the ashes. It’s hard to keep nature down. Mother Nature can be quite cruel sometimes. But when she brings forth her beauty, it is awesome.

In last week’s Mother’s Day issue we decided display Mother Nature in all of her glory as you can see in the photos. As I have mentioned before I have a love/hate relationship with my android phone but it can come in quite handy at times.

I took photos of the trees in bloom as I was walking by Perth Amboy’s City Hall Circle and by an apartment building on Market Street.

Something as simple and beautiful as flowers, trees, bushes or a pond can very easily turn something unattractive to something very beautiful.

This is what I was trying to get at when I asked the question at the October Mayoral Forum. We were talking about the Industrial part of outer State Street in Perth Amboy. It is sad when you go through that section of State Street and you see the busted windows on the unoccupied decrepit buildings.

I’m sure that planting hearty trees or shrubs that can take care of themselves would be an asset to that part of town. I still say talk to the business owners and see if they are willing to participate in this venture.

Nature basically takes care of itself. Trees that are naked and barren in the harsh winter weather suddenly bloom in the springtime. Humans are not out there watering all of these trees; it’s just what comes naturally.

Some of the most attractive landscaping I have seen are not just restricted to private gardens, homes or office buildings. Who would have ever thought that gas stations would have some of the prettiest landcapes you have ever seen.

Another favorite spot of mine as far as landscaping is St. Joseph’s Nursing Home in Woodbridge. I have it as a wallpaper on my phone. Someone told me that they believe that the nuns planted a lot of the flowers. I’ll have to ask them the next time I see them. If they do the planting, they should teach a landscaping course. The grounds there are breathtaking – at least in my opinion. They were on Page 4 of the Mother’s Day Insert at the bottom on the left hand side.

Other photos in that section were taken by Paul W. Wang from a private garden. I also want to thank Paul for the gorgeous border he did in the Mother’s Day issue. It is such a delight when my vision is brought to light.

Katherine and I had a lot of fun interviewing the Seminski father and daughter team at Sciortino’s, South Amboy and Anita Pires of Fernando’s Unisex Styling, Perth Amboy. The 2 Spotlights could have been applicable to Mother’s or Father’s Day. It was all about generations carrying on family tradition.

To me, this is one of the joys of producing the newspaper. Sometimes you need a break from hard news.

C.M.