Good Friday

I'm writing this at 6pm on Thursday. The grass is cut, the horses are vaccinated, the dog has had a bath, the weeping cherry is in full bloom and I am wearing. . . wait for it. . . . SHORTS!!!!!

OMG! I thought the day would never come, but it has at last, and it was no April Fool. What a beautiful day! I've even got a little blush from the sun to show for it.

Pictures never do this tree justice--even if you take several of them from various angles and at different times of the day. To fully experience its beauty, one must stand beneath it and gaze up into the blooms with a clear blue sky behind it. Fabulous! I've always loved these trees, and it was one of the first that I planted when we moved here almost twenty-one years ago.

There have been times when it got nipped by the frost or just didn't have many blooms, but this is not one of those times. It won't last long, though. These 78-80 degree days shorten its blooming time considerably. Neighbor Janet says it's "spiritual," so I have to tell her when it's blooming every year so she can come and commune with it.

This was Peaches' first experience with the lawn tractor, and she chose to observe the operation from the relative safety of the deck. What a smart dog!

She had her first bath out on the deck on Wednesday afternoon, which she didn't seem to care for at all. Imagine that!

The horses also look very pretty today. I probably should have taken some pictures of them, too, because Kira's tail when it's just been washed is a truly beautiful thing. But, there again, pictures just don't do it justice. You've got to be there to see the way it sparkles when it catches the sunlight as it waves in the breeze and smell that nice horsey scent that goes along with it.

All in all, it was a great day to just sit and listen to the birds and the frogs singing and hear the wind blowing and feel the warmth of the sunshine. Oh, yes, and smell the flowers!

Enjoy your Friday!


Update: 9:26AM

Another stunningly beautiful day!

Neighbor Janet came over last evening to visit the tree. She met Peaches for the first time, and Peaches went totally bonkers over her. She settled down eventually, but I think she really liked Janet.

Anyway, per her and Paulette's request, I took some more pics of the tree this morning, and here they are! I think they give you more of a feel for it, but what you don't get from a picture is the hum of the hundreds of bees that are hovering around it. We even saw a butterfly last night.