Spring Doings

Spring blooms are nearly done here, but I thought I'd share what's around my yard:

The early season cherry trees were really beautiful this year:

And the lorapetalum put on quite a show as well.  Here is a photo of the nearly 5-foot tall bush in front of the house...

and here is a close-up of one of the flowers.  I think they look like exploding fireworks.

This is the later-season cherry tree that's in the backyard.  When we moved in nearly 9 years ago, it barely reached the eaves of the roof on the shed next to it.  Now it towers over that whole area.

And the phlox near that cherry tree is so pretty, nestled up in front of the day lily leaves:

The day before Easter, we went to the NC state zoo in Asheboro.  They were giving "Easter egg" treats to a number of the animals.  They blow up a ballon, cover it in paper mache and paint them to look like Easter eggs.  Once it's dry, they deflate the balloons and put snacks into the eggs, and place them around the animals' enclosures.

The cougars were such fun to watch!  They really went into hunting mode, and stalked their prey before pouncing on it and ripping it to shreds.  Here's one climbing up a tree to get the egg:

The black bears weren't quite as observant as the cougars, and it took them a while to figure out food was available.  But once they figured it out they had a ball getting their treats out.

The boys were on spring break last week, and it got into the low 90s on several of the days.  We traditionally open the pool at Easter, and by Tuesday, when it hit 92 or so, the pool was ready to use.  Ready from a balanced chemicals and clarity perspective, that is.  The water couldn't have been more than 63 degrees.  But that did not stop my boys from getting in.

They were freezing, but managed to submerge and have fun for a good 15-20 minutes before they were cold enough that the testosterone was no longer in charge of their brains.

Oh, and the dog went too...

I'll have a few scrappy creations for you tomorrow or Friday.

This is July?

Greetings from Massachusetts! That would be cold, wet, damp, chilly, rainy Massachusetts. Someone check their calendar - this is July, right? It might be in the low 60s out there right now, misty/drizzly, and due to begin pouring sometime late tonight. Apparently the rain will continue most of tomorrow. Thankfully, it's supposed to clear up and be a beautiful weekend.

We had a great flight up, and at 5 and 6 1/2, the boys love to fly and can carry their own backpacks and booster seats. They looked so grown up, sitting on their own on one side of the aisle, reading their books. We got to my mom's and they immediately began climbing the huge pine tree in the front yard, which is perfectly arranged for climbing. (Pix will be posted eventually.) Matthew has decided he's got 4 "rooms" in the tree, and Jeremy has two "rooms" and a science lab. They've also adopted a neighborhood cat, whom they've named Stinky. I figured it would be a mangy looking critter, but I saw it this afternoon and it's a big tom (at least 18 pounds), black and grey, sleek, and well cared for. Guess the name is just more evidence of testosterone poisoning.

Mom and I will get everything packed up for our trip to the Cape tomorrow, make a list of groceries we'll need to get down there, and visit with a few relatives that will be dropping by. We'll be leaving shortly after noon on Saturday. I'll get to visit with a college friend and a grad school friend during the week, as well as various other relatives who'll be popping down here and there. I'm looking forward to relaxing - and hopefully some warmer weather!