Redbud Trees in Bloom!

Cercis canadensis L. (Eastern Redbud)

Spring in the Heights is magical! Who doesn't love all the Redbud trees in bloom? And who would notice a Redbud tree if it weren't in bloom? In summer it's a scraggly runt of a tree in spite of it's pale-green, heart-shaped leaves but in winter...in winter it's best to glance the other way.

Indeed, blooms create the magic. I think I shall go adorn myself with flowers. Perhaps they'll make me look as young and fresh as spring...in my wildest dreams!

I'm Rich!

I'm rich, for I have a fragrant, antique rose for the kitchen table...

fresh mint for my tea.

And delightful, tiny blooms on the Apple-scented geranium. (Oh, look, someone has had breakfast. See the nip out of the petal on the right?)

And the richest find of all: a father Mourning Dove, silhouetted against the morning sky, keeping watch over tiny eggs.

You have a great day. And I shall too, for I'm going to have a cup of mint tea while I relish my new-found riches, before I start my day.

Spring: the Youthful Season

Baby Pine cones.

Everywhere you look this time of year, there are examples of nature's youth: tiny eggshells from which baby birds have emerged; new leaf and flower buds are all around; baby squirrels, learning how to jump and chatter; even the air smells new. All this makes you feel young again, as if there are new paths to be taken.