Day 121 - Eye candy

Spring in the world! And all things are made new!
~Richard Hovey~

The early azaleas are in different stages of bloom and this bright lavendar-purple "Herbert" species is one of my favorites.

Day 117 - Where the lilacs grow...

From bud to perfumed beauty in little more than a month.

"Where the lilacs grow...

and the happiness shows...

on the faces of children...

and flowers and trees...

Where the good times meet
and the living is sweet
And there's never a cloud in the sky."
lyrics from "Where The Lilacs Grow"
by Slim Whitman

Day 116 - ...but only God can make a tree.

I think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree...

Joyce Kilmer

In honor of Arbor Day, our weeping maple (and pink dogwood in the background.) See Lew's Pics for another view of the dogwoods and a cherry.

Day 115 - Spray 'n' Wash

Tackling another spring ritual, Lew hit the deck today with the power spray to wash and prepare it for a water seal treatment. Since the forecast is for rain tomorrow, it may be awhile before it's dry enough for that step.

Day 114 - More bud progress

Another shot of the bud I've been following. We should have full-blown lilacs any day now.

Day 113 - Spring break

With spring sunshine and April showers comes the seasonal ritual of mowing the rapidly growing grass. Having finished the front yard, the 'gardener' (aka Lew) took a break before continuing the job in the back.

Day 112 - Cherry Blossoms, northern style

Since we're north of the city, our cherry blossoms start peaking about 3-4 weeks later than those in Washington, DC. We only planted our two trees 3 or 4 years ago, but they've produced massive amounts of blooms this season for our enjoyment. Even the rain and chillier temps of the past two days hasn't dampened (pardon the pun!) their beautiful display of fluffy pink.

Day 101 - Bud progress

Woo Hoo!! We have sun! With temperatures to match! :)

Soooo, I boogied my cloud-weary self outside to enjoy it while it lasts and got a progress shot of the lilac bud I shot last month. In less than 3 weeks, it's developed dramatically. Won't be long at all until we have yummy flowers.

Day 90 - Dandelion Days

Not nearly as spectacular as yesterday's cherry blossoms, and certainly not as welcome, another rite of spring is the inevitable appearance of that all-too-familiar weed, the dandelion.

Day 89 - Cherry Blossom Time

Around our part of the country, the National Cherry Blossom Festival, which started today, announces that spring has arrived. Against our better judgment, we decided to brave the masses and drove into DC to check them out. There's more, along with more photos, on my regular blog and over at Lews Pics.

There are newer weeping varieties along with some of the original trees from Japan at East Potomac Park/Hains Point.

Delicate, flufffy mounds of pink and white.

Since it hasn't really been overly windy, apparently the weight of the blooms on this original specimen was enough to cause it to break. Over the years, most of the original trees have developed disease and are being replaced as they weaken and die out.

Y'all know I can't resist close-ups and these beauties were perfect candidates for my camera.

All in all, a beautiful jaunt into the city, and very much worth the effort and traffic.

Day 88 - Spring things

As noted on Lew's Pics, Baker Park is in full spring greening mode and there was much to enjoy and photograph. From the willows and covered bridge to...

...the always hungry, people-friendly ducks who populate the lake. These two meandered across the street (protected by their personal crossing signs) begging for food before we even got out of the car!

The early flowering shrubs, trees, and flowers are showing their beauty, so in spite of overcast skies and a bit of wind, it was a lovely visit to the park.

Day 86 - Grazing

The peaceful spring scene I see from the back of our house. I'm thinking the cows are enjoying being able to munch on tender new grass for a change instead of a steady diet of winter hay.

Day 85 - An original

A different take on the spring theme, this is the grandaddy of them all - an 'original' Slinky from back in the day when they were still made of metal. This one, complete with box and still untangled and working, not only withstood my son's rough handling, but has survived the grandkids too.

Day 84 - Bulging bud

New leaf buds covering the bushes and trees show us that spring is here and a welcome sight it is! The dark area you see inside this bud is an itty bitty lilac flower getting fat and ready to burst into fragrant delight in about a month or so.

Day 83 - Easter flowers

It's only fitting that the daffodils should be blooming on Easter Sunday...

The Daffodils
Aileen Fisher

The daffodils, the daffodils.
They plan it all ahead:
They bottle yellow sunshine up
To take along to bed.

They know that they will sleep for months
Till cold and snow are gone,
And so they bottle sunshine up
Before they start to yawn.

And then when Spring is not-quite warm,
And days are not quite mellow,
They poke up little goblets full
Of yellow, yellow, yellow.
~ ~ ~

Happy Easter!

Day 75 - Purple Pretties

On this beautiful sunshiny day we're having, I couldn't resist the pretty upturned faces of these crocus as they posed in the sunlight for me.

I also couldn't resist another collection of yellow for this week's theme. I can't get over how much yellow I'm aware of now since taking the photos of the yellow motorcycle - there are yellow vehicles everywhere, just everywhere! I took these earlier in the week from the car window as we rambled around town taking care of business.

Day 65 - Spring threesome

Yes!! We're finally having a beautiful sunshiny day today and lo and behold, we also have some concrete evidence of spring. The crocus under the cherry tree are opening and I even found a group of three for our theme - I just love when nature cooperates!

Day #114 - Cherry Delight...

The long wait is over and Spring is finally busting out all over in my yard. DC's Cherry Blossom Festival has come and gone and their blossoms have all bloomed and blown away, but ours are just starting to dazzle us with all their gorgeousness.

Aren't they just to die for?? :)

Day #113 - New life...

Gazing from inside windows and seeing nothing but deadish, brown bushes around the deck, I had pretty much written this baby off as winter wound down. Along with two of her buddies, who didn't look much better, I figured they'd gone to azalea heaven and we'd have to replace them... again. (We haven't had much luck with azaleas and the deck - I don't know why.)

Imagine my surprise and delight when, whoosh! - after a couple of sun-filled days, they all of a sudden greened up and burst into bloom!

I know better - next time I'll go outside and look at them up close and personal before declaring them a lost cause.

Day #86 - A refreshing burst of yellow...

These pretty little gals are making their appearance in our yard now.

(Psssst... over here... yes, I'm feeling better but I'm not saying it too loud... the angry Gods, you know?) ;-)