winter

Another brutal winter but the worst days are in the rear view mirror.  We have sprung forward. We are looking at 50s next week.  50s!!!!

Samson had a nice weekend and while the time changed for us, he was non-plussed.



We have color in the house ... store bought for now, but spring is coming.



We just can't wait for the weather to turn.  Cheers to another week.  Come on Spring!

April flowers

I know that it has been a peculiarly warm winter.  Spring came in February.  Our tulips have bloomed and died. But come April, we have a few new flowers trying to emerge.  Whew.  I thought we were destined for a colorless spring.

From April Flowers 2012

From April Flowers 2012

From April Flowers 2012

From April Flowers 2012

There are some hangers-on from last fall.

From April Flowers 2012

From April Flowers 2012

The big blue sky made everything that much more beautiful.  Closing in on the weekend.

Summer shoes and the vernal equinox

The last day of winter was the warmest day ever in the state of Michigan.  In the 80s.  Today is going up to 86 and it's the first day of spring.  We turned on our air conditioning.  Sissies, I know.  Yesterday felt like a warm, muggy day in June.   One irony is that our heating bills have been unbelievable low.  I suspect that this will be offset by our air conditioning costs.

Such is life.

I am already wearing sandals to work.  The thought of putting on socks or nylons is incomprehensible.  And it got me thinking of my real summer shoes.

From 2011-07-08

From 2011-07-08

So welcome spring in the midst of summer.  Here's hoping that we don't get the missing blizzard in July.

Last of the lilacs

These are for our friend Lisa. These pictures are the last of the lilacs, their beauty and fragrance have graced our yard and neighborhood for the last several weeks. They are beautiful. But they are leaving. So until next year, lilacs!

The beauty of the midwest

Having lived a lot of different places around the country, we had the opportunity to enjoy truly the beauty of the country. We enjoyed the stunning tropical beauty of Guam, northern and southern California, the old money and small streets of Rhode Island and all the miles of highway in between.

Truly, there is nothing like the view driving up the coast in southern California through Laguna Niguel and Newport Beach, looking at the ocean on my left and the mountains on my right. Unbelievably breath-taking. (And of course, there was nothing like having a friend like Lynn who loved hockey and beer and good food, along with music and manicures).

But there are many things I love about Michigan. I love old trees - big trunks, enormous branches, beautiful leaves - sky-filling trees. If you read my writings with any regularity, you know I also love the snow and rain, sleet and hail. But mostly I love looking UP to the sky. When we have gorgeous sunsets filling the sky with pink, yellow, blue, purple and orange, the trees look the most alive.

Spring is almost here. Enjoy the rest of your week!

Saturday

A quick note and then its off and about. The hawks were out this morning and they are beautiful! I wasn't prepared, didn't have my telephoto lens on and was playing FD (we have to spell everything around Samson. FD = flat disk = frisbee) with His Handsomeness.

The hawks were flying and screeching, Samson was done hunting so he sat himself down to take in the glorious spring smells and sun shining. This is my favorite shot of the morning - I like the contrast of the sun and the tree shadows. Makes it a little challenging to get the light just right. :) Well, it is my fave even if I couldn't get the hawks.

Enjoy this beautiful day.

A good walk

Paul and I had a chance to walk this evening, since he was taking a night off from his daily run. I haven't bringing my camera on our walks since the mornings are very, very dark and in the evening, we have Mr. Samson. He requires full attention but with Paul holding the reigns, I was able to snap pictures. We walked down to Floral and turned left at the beautiful yellow bush. It is a beautiful bush so I snapped a picture.

At the end of Floral, where it dead-ends into San Lu Rae, there is new construction! At least, there is a big ole hole being dug which we anticipate will be a new house. There are two new homes on either side of the big ole hole. We both remember the old homes that used to occupy the lots and the new ones, well, they just look new.

And, as promised, the cow. I swear, I have NO IDEA why they have a cow in their yard. Henry knew much about the cow but I decided to post pictures and let him provide us commentary. I still think that it is rather peculiar and someday I would like to sneak up and take a close up. And touch it. I have a Red Wings banner on my front door but I sure wouldn't think to have a cow....

Mr. Pitiful

Daily, we suffer through Mr. Pitiful's whines when furry girlfriend is outside. We don't let him out every time he sees her....sometimes a girl just needs some 'alone time.' He just doesn't understand! Of course, the pitiful whine can also be attributed to nasty, wicked squirrels OR an errant leaf dancing across the grass....it all sounds the same. This spring will be fun, watching him watching the yard come alive!