The clematis is one of those old-timey flowers that makes me think of farmhouses, white picket fences and the television show The Waltons.  I have a vine that faithfully grows outside my back door.  It is the first flower on the farm to herald the coming of spring and produces flowers that range in color from deep eggplant to pastel purple.  And as I sit listening to the sleet hitting the windows, I’m looking forward to seeing the clematis vine bloom again!