After the winter that would not end, spring has finally come to New England. Right now is my absolute favorite time of year: lilacs, apple blossoms, tulips, dogwood, redbud. Pink tree season is the best.





Things are going well at work. I was hired on as permanent (yay!), so now I have benefits. To celebrate my first real paycheck, I got a "new" phone (it's a "pre-loved" iPhone), which I love love love. My old phone was, well, old. The new one is rose gold and very pretty. And it has a lot more room on it for more apps and pictures. It makes me happy.

My next big thing I need to replace is my mattress. The old one is quite ancient, and probably a big reason I haven't been sleeping very well for a while. I found a great price on a nice one at my local appliance store, so that's coming next week.

Then I need to start saving for a car. The Santa Fe is almost 15 (I've had her for 5 years), and really needs replacing. I'd like for that to happen before anything else goes wrong with her. I'm leaning towards a Kia Soul; a couple of my friends have them, and say nothing but good things about them. Plus, they're cute.

Now that spring is here, I'm making an effort to get out more and take more pictures. It feels good to stretch those muscles again.

I'll leave you today with the Great Horned Owl I spotted at Mount Auburn on Beltane. I was very pleased to get pictures of him!

Not a lot has been happening around here lately. The weather has been pretty dismal, with lots of rain and grey, broody skies. This does not help my feeling of being overwhelmed by the world. I do try to get out of the house every day, but some days I fail at even that.

I did make it to the wildlife sanctuary last week, where I found lots of lovely pink lady's slipper orchids (though not nearly as many as I should have; I suspect people are picking them, as I found a lot of flower-less plants).



It was cool and green in the woods, with lots of birdsong and ferns.



There's a red tailed hawk that's been hanging out atop the spire at the UU church downtown.



I've seen it there several times. Must be a good lookout place for it.

These lovely little flowers have been popping up in our yard. I'm told they're called Star of Bethlehem.



Speaking of hawks and backyards, my neighbors had to put a chicken run back in the trees because one hawk decided our backyard was an all-you-can-eat chicken buffet, and had killed several of the girls. No more chickens wandering around the yard, but I'm glad they're safe. And the guys bought a bunch of chicks, which are growing fast. They're so cute, and their little peeps make me smile. One of the hens is playing mother to them.

I went to see "Wonder Woman" the other day, and I liked it a lot. It's not perfect, but then what movie is? It was refreshing to see a strong female lead who was not just eye candy or assisting the men. I wouldn't bother to see it in 3D, though. It really didn't add anything to the experience. Save the four bucks for popcorn.

Yesterday was a glorious day for a walk. Warm but not too much so, and sunny with a little breeze. Perfect spring weather. The daffodils in front of the UU church were happy. Tiny leaves are popping out, and I even saw some trees in flower.

Down at the park, things are greening by the river, and some kayakers paddled by as I stood on the bank.



Violets lined the parking lot, and dotted the grass along the path.



I recently discovered a new cheese & gourmet shop downtown, and it's a delightful place. It's just a little hole-in-the-wall, but the proprietor is very nice (and she really knows her cheese!) and the selection is large. I tried a German triple-creme with mushrooms, and it was delicious. I'll definitely be back. I'm so glad to see all the new businesses downtown; a lot of places have opened in the four years I've lived here. We have a brewery, a martini & tapas bar, an ice cream place with a speakeasy in the back (really!), a flatbread pizza joint, and a new dress shop to name a few. Just the opposite of Westfield, where I used to live. It was sad to see all the empty storefronts there, and it's a much bigger town. I'm also glad to see that the new shopping plaza just outside of town hasn't hindered downtown at all. Maybe it even helps; who knows? It would be nice if folks who came to the plaza to shop decide to check out downtown as well. I like supporting local businesses.

My mom is home from the rehab place, and doing much better. That's a relief. She's going to have a visiting nurse for a while, and one of her neighbors has a daughter who does housecleaning, so mom is hiring her to help out. She's doing her exercises and her breathing exercises, and is determined to get and stay well. This makes me happy.

I brought the grill back up to the deck, and maybe I'll be motivated to light it up tonight. That sounds like the perfect end to a lovely weekend.

After the neverending war with the woodchucks last year, I decided to plant sunflowers in a pot this year. Actually, it's a large plastic cauldron, because that's just more fun. They're not very tall, and the flowers are fairly small, but I have sunflowers! They're ever so lovely. I smile whenever I see them.



Soon I will have morning glories, too. I see several buds that promise to be flowers in a few days. Hooray for flowers.

It is finally spring here in New England! I found crocuses coming up along the bike trail the other day:



Yesterday, I went to the wildlife refuge, where the ice is finally gone.



( critters and more )

Yay, spring!

I've always been a cat person. Being a Leo, that's not particularly surprising. But I do love dogs too, as well as most other animals.

On my walk yesterday, I stumbled upon an event at the Elks Club called Woofstock. The river path ends at the field behind there, and it was full of vendors and people, and dogs. Lots and lots of dogs. So I wandered around taking pictures and talking with people.







They were all very well-behaved.

Last evening, it was finally clear enough to see the moon. I was very pleased to get a picture in which you can see craters!



I love my camera.

A few days ago, I was putting flannel sheets on my bed. Today, I had to turn on the a/c because it was hot! New England weather, man. You really never know what it's going to do.

At least my morning glories are still blooming. Blue is far from my favorite color, but these are so gloriously blue, I adore them.



As my former future husband is now off the market, I am now taking applications for the next candidate. At the head of the pack is Benedict Cumberbatch, as his voice can make me dissolve into a puddle of Jell-o. I foresee a Sherlock marathon in my near future...

I didn't let the gloomy weather keep me indoors this weekend, but it was odd to be wearing long sleeves and a jacket in June. It was 57 degrees at noontime today. A few days ago, it was nearly 100. What is up with that?

( At least there were flowers... )

I'm looking forward to watching the Tonys tonight. My cousin David (who I saw when we went to NYC) will be there with his boss, who is up for a Tony for Scottsboro Boys. How exciting!

Not as much sun as promised today, but it was a mostly nice day. I went for a long walk, through the park and wildlife sanctuary, and I saw some amazing things.

( Amazed )

It feels like I missed a chunk of spring because of all the rain. The trout lily, daffodils, and magnolia are long gone. The tulips are almost past.

The irises are just starting to open. I even saw buds on the rose bushes. Summer flowers will be here soon, and spring will be a memory.