Winter solstice - musings on 2010

It's almost noon on the shortest day of the year. The sun is shining on the snow-covered birch tree across the street and the thermometer at the front of the house reads 10 below zero. I'm always happy to see this day come, and happier still to see it go, because it means we'll start gaining daylight. It may be less than a minute for a day or so, but to me every second counts! I am really looking forward to seeing patches of light in the sky again before midmorning.

All of my Christmas shopping is done, cards and gifts mailed. All I need to do is make sticky buns for Christmas morning and that will wait until Friday. My family will visit in the morning and I can relax the rest of the day.

I'll take the tree down either Christmas night or the next day - it blocks the window and I want all those short minutes of gained daylight that I can get! Besides, it's been up since the day after Thanksgiving and it's time to start looking toward spring.

As always, this time of year I find myself thinking back on the past year. Healthwise, it was pretty good, with no major illness or problems. I spent time with my daughter and granddaughter, talked with the Spokane family on the phone and kept in close touch with my parents and sisters.

I only took one major trip this year, to San Antonio, Texas, in March. I went down for a conference and was able to spend some time with my good friend Paula while there. She drove down for a day and took me to see the Alamo and the Riverwalk. We had a terrific day, catching up on news in our respective lives and enjoying each other's company. Thses bluebonnets along the roadside were the first ones I had ever seen.

We made our annual visit to the Georgeson Botanical Garden this summer and the flowers there did not disappoint us. As always, they were spectacular. The folks at the University of Alaska Fairbanks do a terrific job planting and maintaining that garden every year.

This flower was gorgeous. I took several photos of it, this one and another in macro. It's just one of many varieties there.

In September my friend Mae and I made our annual trip to Denali National Park on the Alaska Railroad. I think I prefer the park in the fall rather than the spring. The colors are vibrant and we generally see more wildlife. We go for just one night, a relaxing getaway from the office, telephones and bustle of our daily lives.

2011 is looking promising. Our good friend Bonnie is retiring this spring and she and Junior, her husband, have invited Mae and me to visit them in Las Cruces. We are going down in March and will drive to Phoenix to see some baseball games during Spring Training. When we return to Las Cruces we will play tourist, visiting the local area and spending catching up with Bonnie and Junior. March is a perfect time to go down. I love baseball, and prefer the smaller Spring Training parks to the big city arenas. After a long winter, the temperatures in New Mexico and Arizona are so very welcome. I look forward to getting some good baseball photos and hopefully some really nice photos of the New Mexico and Arizona scenery. We will likely visit El Paso, Texas, for a day as well.

After that, I'm not sure what the new year will bring - still talking about an Amtrak trip from Seattle to PA, possibly in the fall when the leaves are changing. We'll probably do our usual summer treks to the botanical gardens and around the local area. I'll go to the Midnight Sun Game and enjoy the summer in other ways.

To all of you, merry Christmas, happy holidays and the happiest, healthiest new year.

wierd weather

We have experienced some strange weather this week. Monday morning it started to rain. As soon as the rain hit the ground it froze, turning the roads into huge skating rinks.

I had already decided to take off Tuesday through Friday, but the deteriorating conditions of the roads and walkways helped me decide to leave early Monday as well. I really wanted to get home before the evening traffic and into the house before my sidewalk got even icier than it already was. Because of my back problems, falling is one of my biggest fears. And since I'm not the most agile person, especially on ice, I really just wanted to get indoors.

When I left the office, about 11:15 a.m. Monday, the main roads weren't too bad. Traffic was moving slower than usual, but I didn't see anyone really skidding or slipping, although there were reports of numerous vehicles ranging from small cars to fire trucks and semis, off into ditches. Intersections and side roads, however, were another story. I was truly grateful that I only live about four miles from the office and that traffic wasn't heavy.

The roads have been bad enough that federal, state and local offices called in only mission-essential employees. Many were closed. The schools sent kids home early Monday and have been closed since.

It has continued raining and all that beautiful fluffy snow is now either waterlogged or a mass of slush.  Normally I have someone who comes out and shovels my walk and ramp and plows the driveway. However, because of the hazardous driving conditions, he hasn't been out this week. (And I'm not complaining - no one should be out driving in this stuff.) I think I will put on my boots and try to get the worst of the slush off the walk and at least shovel a small path to the mailbox.


The mess on the sidewalk is mostly liquid, because temperatures have been hovering between 34 and 37 here. The poor little dog doesn't like wet feet, so he doesn't want to leave the ramp - and that's the last place (except for the house, of course) where I want him doing his business. It's a chore taking him out.

But this will all pass. It's supposed to start cooling off and turning colder. That will allow us to get the roads scraped again and more gravel down for traction, getting driving back to normal.

This may impact our Thanksgiving plans to go to Pike's for the buffet. If the roads are still bad, we will not go out. On a whim last weekend at the store, I bought a half turkey so I'd have some leftovers. So I'm very thankful for that - I can still have some Thanksgiving dinner even if I do have to take care of the cooking and cleanup. I have a warm dry home and plenty of food. I can call my family in PA and talk with all of them. One missed buffet at Pike's won't be a disaster.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families.

November

It looks as though winter has finally arrived. Several snowfalls have left some ground cover. We've had a couple of days with below-zero temperatures, but for the most part it hasn't been too bad. One night the forecast called for a possibility of 35 below, but that didn't materialize. I did have about 10 below when I got up, but that's tolerable.

The fresh snow has left the trees with a beautiful cloak of pure white and I love the look of my yard under the white cover.

I shot this one on the low-light/no-flash setting in the darkness. The city has replaced the streetlights with LCD lamps, and the reflection off the snow combined with the slow shutter speed makes the sky look almost light.

My spruce tree still has lots of snow on the branches despite the efforts of the raven who habituates the upper branches. He'll sit there and vocalize, then fly off. His takeoffs and landings usually knock a lot of the snow off.

Again, this was shot in the dark (this is the original photo, not edited), and the sky looks light from the LCDs and slow shutter.













As we returned from shopping and lunch out, my friend and I commented on how big the falling flakes were. Our normal snowfalls produce much smaller flakes. These were really pretty.

Our biggest news this week was the loss of Maddy's first tooth. She said she was surprised how little her teeth are. She told me she got a dollar, but the tooth fairy forgot to take the tooth. It appears she was playing with it before she went to sleep and the tooth fairy couldn't find it. Her mom decided since Maddy was already paid for the tooth, she would make sure the tooth fairy got the tooth.




 
 
 
My friend Mae and I will be going to Pike's Landing for Thanksgiving dinner. We've done this for several years. The buffet is terrific - turkey, ham, roast beef, salads, sides and desserts. The food is good and well worth the cost - and there's no clean-up. I did, however, buy a small package of turkey so I can have something for lunches. But there will be no day of just cooking and clean-up. I will probably watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade on tv - that's a tradition - and talk with my family in Pennsylvania while they're gathered at my sister's house.
 
I will NOT be shopping Friday. I don't like crowds, don't tolerate rude people anywhere and hate the running, pushing and jostling of Black Friday. So I'll relax at home and watch some tv. I'm off work Tuesday through Friday, so will do a little shopping earlier in the week. Friday will be a good time to compose the Christmas letter and get my cards ready for mailing.
 
I've already got a few gifts purchased and have a couple more I want to order online. I don't decorate the house until after Thanksgiving because I firmly believe the two holidays should be separate. Thanksgiving was always a special holiday when I was growing up. My family and my dad's sister and brother and their families always gathered at Grandma's house. We kids (even as teens) would be relegated to the living room to watch the Macy's parade; the men went duck-hunting and the women were the (relatively small) kitchen cooking. I really think any more people in the kitchen would really be too many people. We always had duck and some other fowl - sometimes chicken or goose and rarely turkey. The food was spectacular and we loved getting together with our cousins. After dinner, the women cleaned up, the men went hunting again and we kids would go off for a hike or walk around town. One year we collected small plants and went to my cousin's basement, where we made winter gardens (terrariums) in quart jars for our grandmother and mothers. The memories of those days are warm and still remain special to me.
 
I have purchased a few Christmas gifts, some of them over the year, and a few within the past few weeks. I will have two packages to ship off, but I'm trying to keep them small enough to fit into flat-rate boxes and have the USPS pick them up here at the house. Gone are the days of paying in excess of $50 to mail heavy packages!
 
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you.

Easing into winter

Had another busy month - work, house, preparing for winter, shopping for Christmas (already!). Dealing with various issues with my back and trying to adjust to new diabetes medication has left me feeling less than perky. However, the latest bloodwork shows the A1c dropping, so I guess the new pill is working. I just wish it didn't plummet my sugar levels so low. I'll just have to remember to eat a snack earlier than usual and try to raise the levels before the pill takes hold of me.

Buddy has had a super busy month, growling and woofing and barking wildly at all sorts of things. He lies on the back of the couch and looks out the window. Then he alerts on everything and everyone who dares enter his space. It doesn't matter if it's a car driving by or the yard guy shoveling the walk (and boy is THAT worth the money - my back is spared) or a bird flying or the squirrel on the fence.

This isn't as sharp as I'd like, but it's shot through a window and between the lilac branches. Note his stash of cones from the spruce tree. He was eating there when I pulled into the driveway and remained there until I came in, shot a few photos from inside the arctic entry and didn't move until I brought Buddy outside. Then he ran to the spruce tree where he sat and chattered at us until we went back indoors.

He chattered so long and loudly that Buddy - Mr. Tough Guy inside the house - just sat and looked. He didn't make a sound. In this photo the squirrel's mouth is open. I guess we disturbed his dinner.










The days are getting longer now, and this morning (for the first time this winter) I had single-digit temperatures at my house. However, the sunsets are gorgeous. This one had just a hint of pink and a promise of what was to come. Since I was on my way out, I snapped it before it reached its peak, because I knew I'd be driving by the time it was at its best.

I like the colore filtered through the branches of the spruce tree. Although summer is by far my favorite season, there's something about all four of them that I love. Each season has a special beauty all its own - and each one makes me so glad I live in a place with glorious things to photograph.








I'll be taking some time off work to use up some leave between now and New Year's, and I'm truly looking forward to it. I plan to do some housework (not looking forward to that!), some shopping for Christmas and birthdays and some cooking.

I bought a convection oven this morning after much research. I hope it's all I've read it is. I'll give it a try today with a baked potato and some cookies for my granddaughter. Maddy is coming over to show me her pirate costume :), and she's always hungry when she gets to my house.

I'll also be making some gifts for my sisters, so that will keep me busy in the weeks I'm off.

Happy November everyone.

It's here

After an unseasonably warm September, it appears our summer and fall have ended. Although there's not much of it, the snow has finally arrived.

Thanks to Maura & Micah, my leaves were all raked and bagged before the snow. This one was pretty easy to sweep from the ramp and sidewalk this morning. It's still rather warm - 33 degrees at 11:30 a.m., but I figure we're in it now.

Some sort of virus kept me off work Thursday and Friday. Thankfully I'm fully recovered and back to normal. I was too sick and dizzy to even make it to the computer. I stayed in Saturday and started to update my genealogy files. Nothing new this week, but I'm forever an optimist when it comes to the family tree.

I ventured over to Fred Meyer's pharmacy this morning and to my gas station downtown. The roads weren't too bad, but Fred's parking lot was a virtual ice rink. I was walking like a toddler on a new unfamiliar surface. It's time to adjust not just my driving, but my walking.

I do look forward to the gorgeous scenery that comes with the serious snowfall - trees and yards looking like Christmas cards. It's a whole different world.

I spoke with my friend Bonnie in New Mexico yesterday for a long while. We talked politics and baseball as well as what's happening in our lives. We are talking about maybe going to Phoenix for Spring Training in March. I'm pretty excited about that. After a long cold winter, there's nothing quite like sitting in the stands watching a baseball game, with temperatures in the 70s and 80s. I love stepping outside of the terminal in Phoenix. (My socks and shoes have been replaced by sandals in Seattle during the layover.)

So I guess this winter will be full of genealogy and Arizona dreaming.

train to Denali

After the busy summer, I took a week off the week before Labor Day. Monday I had to stop in at the office for a couple of hours. Following that I went to DMV to renew my driver's license (22 minutes in and out!). Tuesday I took my car to have a lube/oil/filter job. Wednesday I went back to work, again for a few hours. Thursday I took the dog to the vet for his annual wellness check. Friday I went grocery shopping. So much for a relaxing week off!

Last weekend my friend Mae and I climbed onto Car C of the Alaska Railroad for our trip to Denali National Park. Most of the rides we've taken have had plenty of space for us to take up two seats apiece, spread our bags out and completely relax. Not so this time. The railroad had removed some of the cars, including the dining car, and it was packed.

Passengers in our car included a few locals and a tour group. That group was having a great time laughing and taking photos. The other AK RR passenger car had a group of 57 people, most of them a class of 8-year-olds from North Pole Elementary School. The train personnel made an announcement that anyone under 12 years old had to be accompanied by adult. That was very nice as frequently kids will run up and down the aisles, opening and closing the car doors. It's distracting and not at all relaxing. These kids were very well behaved.

We had a brief view of Mt. McKinley from the train, it was a lovely day and a nice ride. Upon our arrival at Denali, we caught the bus to McKinley Chalet Resort, where our room was ready for us. We decided to have lunch at the Chalet, but were terribly disappointed. We both ordered the cup of soup (seafood chowder) and a half-sandwich. The soup was ok, but not great - probably from a boxed base. The sandwich was served on dry (very dry) white bread, with extremely small tomato slices, limp lettuce and lunch meat (turkey for me, ham for Mae) that probably came from Sam's Club or something similar. My side of mayo came in a packet, as did Mae's mustard. It was nowhere worth the almost $12 we paid for it.



Their summer flowers were still in full bloom and gorgeous. We stopped to look at these on the way to our room.

By the time we checked out the gift shop (very nice) and returned to the room, our baggage was inside the room. We stretched out to rest, read and watch tv.

We called for a shuttle to the Princess and had dinner there. They have renovated the dining room since our last trip down, and it is now called "fine dining." I had a chicken breast with a wonderful berry sauce and some potatoes, with ice cream for dessert. The waiter proudly told us the ice cream is called "Hot Licks." Hot Licks is a local place that is always packed. Although their ice cream is very good, their service is not. I have sworn not to go back there until I am assured the service is better. It's now been several years since I've been there. I will, however, eat their ice cream at other places where the servers have more class.



The flowers at the Princess were gorgeous.

On our return to the room, we stopped again at the gift shop at the Chalet. We were surprised to run into Mae's boss and his wife, who had stopped in on their way to Anchorage. It's funny - I think nearly every time we go down to the park we meet someone we know somewhere along the way.

Saturday we watched a little tv before starting off the day. The view from just outside our room was beautiful. I liked the mist rising off the mountains in the early dawn light. We could hear the river rushing by below us - very peaceful and calming.

After breakfast at the Princess, we took the shuttle to Savage River and were absolutely bowled over by the vivid colors. The reds and yellows were brilliant. It was a nice day, in the low 60s and relatively clear until we were coming back to park HQs, when the clouds started rolling in.. We were lucky enough to see about 6-8 moose (a couple of bulls) and Dall sheep, though none were close enough for great photos. I was disappointed that the mountain was obscured by clouds.



We had lunch at the park's cafe, then visited the bookstore and the HQs where I purchased a senior national parks pass.  I sat on a bench outside the HQs and watched as two gray jays squawked at each other.

Then it was time to go check in at the station. They have completely changed the depot at Denali. All the seating is now outside. We did find a box and sat there for the two hours while we waited for the train. It was windy and a little cool and neither of us wanted to sit in that.



Our trip back to Fairbanks was a lot more comfortable. There were just a few people in our car and it was very quiet and peaceful. I managed to get off a few shots of Healy Canyon and the Dall sheep on the side of the mountain across the river/road as well.



riverboat, summer fun, my tomato crop

Earlier this summer my friends and I took advantage of purchasing tickets for the Riverboat Discovery, a local attraction. The 3-1/2 hour trip on the Chena River offers plenty for the visitors from all over the world. The Discovery is a sternwheeler with four decks. We sat along the rails on the third deck where we were able to see everything clearly and get lots of wonderful sun. It was 91 degrees that day, a record-breaking (1926) temperature, but there was a mild breeze to help offset the heat. The boat stops to watch a floatplane take off and land on the river, then moves downstream to a sled-dog operation. The dog yard belongs to Dave Monson, widower of Susan Butcher. The next stop is a replica of an Athabascan Indian village where young people act as tour guides. One young woman sliced up salmon and talked about the drying racks. Others conducted tours of the village (I didn't get off the boat - I've seen it several times and my back did not like climbing the steps to the third deck once, let alone twice!).

Floatplane taking off on the Chena River. An older Discovery sits in the background, this one with two decks as opposed to the four decks on our boat.

Pups swimming in the river at the Butcher-Monson dog yard

Salmon strips drying on the rack at the Native village

It was a busy day on the river. A lot of people took advantage of the weather and the water.

boaters and kayakers

jetskiers

And people weren't the only ones enjoying the river:
















I took off a day to take my granddaughter shopping for school clothes. I had a great day with Maddie and Maura (my daughter). We shopped our hearts out, then went to lunch. I compromised and agreed to MacDonald's - definitely not MY first choice! Maddie's too young to be super fussy yet, and seemed happy with everything we bought, although she did reject a few things I picked up. I guess it was a success, though, because Maura called me a couple of days later to tell me Maddie had worn her new shoes to bed two nights in a row :) She is so excited about school and can't wait to start. Although school started Aug. 18, the kindergarteners don't go until the 24th. It doesn't seem possible she's in school already. And now her mom tells me she has a loose tooth!

My cherry tomato plants have produced only about a dozen of the little things, and so far only three of them have been ready to pick. A Master Gardener I'm not :(

















I set them next to quarters for size reference. Pretty sad. We'll see how they taste. I think maybe next year I'll stick with things that grow without a lot of fuss and bother.

We're looking at train/hotel prices and considering a rail trip to Denali National Park before the snow flies. The park is gorgeous in the fall, and this is one of my favorite trips.

I'm enjoying what's left of the summer, preparing for winter and mulling options for some major changes next spring/summer here at the house.

Happy end-of-August.

Another month has gone by without a post. (So much for my goal of weekly updates!) We've been busy with an open house at work and VIP visits. On top of that, we've been working part of the summer with a reduced staff because of leaves, etc, and none of us have been idle.

My old computer finally slowed down so much that I decided it was time to replace it. After much research and pricing, I found one with right price and features. Then it was time to set it up and transfer or reinstall all the programs I use. All of the components are operating and the speed amazes me. I'm now running Windows 7 here and am much happier with this one than the Vista we're using at work. The monitor that came with it is 24" with a great display. This is considerably smaller than the older computer and takes up so much less space. The old one also had a woofer, so my desk doesn't look nearly as cluttered.

I hated the few days I spent with no computer or one only partly set up. I have a routine I follow each morning on the computer - specific order in what I do, i.e. solitaire, crosswords, news, etc - each day, and having to vary that routine threw me off. I've been accused of suffering from OCD because of that routine, but it's comfortable for me. Some of the old games are not compatible with Windows 7, so I am now building a new set of morning computer times.

As I've been doing all summer, I'm still taking the long way to work a couple of days a week. I saw this guy munching on some young growth last week.

He paid little attention except one time when he looked directly at the car. I guess he determined I was not a threat, because he went right back to his breakfast.

Last weekend my friend Mae and I made our annual trip to the Georgeson Botanical Gardens. Although the place was beautiful, as always, I thought it wasn't quite as pretty as last year. However, we did see some gorgeous blooms.

The fair started Friday and the kids go back to school Aug. 18 - both signs that summer is nearing an end. My granddaughter starts kindergarten this year and is very excited. It's hard to believe she's old enough for school already. I don't know where the time went. I've seen a few gaggles of geese flying around the city the past two weeks. I guess it's time to start thinking of the oil change for the car and preparing other things for the coming winter - bring in the hose, put up the lawn chairs, get out the shovels, etc. Although none of it needs to be done today, I don't want to wait until the snow falls.

I've tried a couple of summer recipes my sister sent, and am now looking forward to trying some hearty soups this winter. I love soup, but not when the weather is hot. I'm not particularly fond of cold soups, and really want light, cold meals in the summer. So the soups wait until the mercury drops.

Still to do before the snow flies are the annual trips to Ester and Murphy domes. We normally do those after the leaves start to turn. The colors are beautiful and the views from the tops of the domes are spectacular.

Happy August everyone.

just hangin' out in Fairbanks

A whole month sped by and I didn't post a single thing! It was a good month, though, with nice weather and not too much smoke.

I didn't do anything special at all - just kind of hung out in and around town, going to baseball games and visiting some of our favorite spots.

We drove down to the Knotty Shop, a souvenir shop on the Richardson Highway southeast of here. In addition to the touristy stuff, they also sell locally made soaps, barbecue sauces and pottery. After we get our fill of looking, we head to the counter for an ice cream cone. The place is always populated with local residents, and I think the main reason we all go there is for the ice cream. This time I had a fat-free blueberry-vanilla frozen yogurt - it was wonderful and guilt-free!

While we were eating our ice cream, I shot this photo of one of the planters outside the log building.

Of course I went out to celebrate the summer solstice at the Midnight Sun Baseball Game June 21. The game starts at 10:30 p.m. and is played entirely without artificial. They estimated about 4700 people in attendance, making me truly appreciate the fact that I buy two box seats every summer. The Alaska Goldpanners - our team - won the game in the bottom of the 15th inning. After 4 1/2 hours - at 3 a.m. - I finally got to go home. But it was a good game and a fun night.

I've been taking the long way to work lately to see what's out there. Though I haven't seen moose too often lately, the osprey are still around and the flowers have been beautiful.

And one hungry guy looking for breakfast (and finding it in the patch of wild strawberries). If you look closely you can see one in his beak.

For the 4th of July weekend, I'll do some unwinding and relaxing. I will be a judge at the BBQ competition Sunday and am looking forward to that. I LOVE BBQ - ribs, brisket, chicken - no matter. I would be a terrible vegetarian.

Happy Independence Day to all of you. I wish you a safe, enjoyable holiday weekend.

week off

I took last week off work to use up some leave and take care of some things that needed attention.

It turned out to be a somewhat productive week. I cleaned out closets and donated a good deal of clothing to the Fairbanks Resource Agency. I bought and planted my flowers for the summer. This year I decided to try cherry tomatoes instead of zucchini. We'll see how that goes.

I spent one day with my daughter and the girls. Maddy is 5 and Atheana is 9. We stopped at the Large Animal Research Station at the University of Alaska Fairbanks to see the musk oxen. Disappointingly, they were not in the close-in viewing area, but way up on the hill behind the barns.

A quick stop at the Georgeson Botanical Garden allowed them a glimpse of reindeer, including some new babies. I was excited to see a lot people with tools. It looks as though they're about to begin planting. That garden is one of my favorite trips in the summer. The flowers are spectacular. I am looking forward to our annual flower trek latter this summer.

We visited Santa Claus House in North Pole, where the girls looked at the reindeer. I think they were more eager to get inside the store than to watch any animals.

We had lunch at Little Richard's Diner (it used to be Harley's Diner). It was ok, but not somewhere I really HAVE to go again. We originally planned to eat at the Pagoda (one of my favorite places), but were too early for their lunch service and the girls were hungry.

After lunch we went back to the LARS, but the musk oxen were still off in the distance. As we drove back to their place, we saw a young moose on Goldstream Road. He was feeding along the left side of the road and I stopped to grab my camera. While I was fumbling around, he crossed in front of us and stopped along the right side of the road. There were two very excited little girls in the back seat.

All in all it was a busy week - not at all the completely relaxing time I initially planned. But I did accomplish something and I did ensure I had time to sit on my benches under the birch tree and enjoy the summer days.

green-up, moose and osprey

I love this time of year. One day there are little buds on the trees and the next - literally overnight - the leaves are open and the hills lose the dull gray-brown barren look. They are all green. It's a confirmation of renewal and life.

To celebrate green-up and enjoy the green I've been driving a little longer route to work, along the river and through the trees. This past week has been great, as I've sat in the car and watched a moose browse for breakfast and an osprey guarding the nest.

The moose is not a large one (relatively speaking), and I watched her munch on some of the young birch trees and on the brush growing low to the ground. I saw her three of the four days I drove that route last week.

The osprey have been around for several summers, and last year built their nest on a power pole. In order to prevent possible disaster to them, our utility folks constructed a special pole for them and placed some sticks on top to lure them. It seems to have worked. You can see the nest they're building.

Friday I watched a snowshoe hare running along the side of the road. I know there is at least one fox family living there too, and hope to see some of them as I enjoy an early morning spring drive to work.

Happy spring everyone. I'm so glad it's finally here.

greenhouses

My friends Mae and Cindy and I drove the greenhouse tour today. It took us to six different greenhouses in the area. Despite the rain, we had a lovely time.

Seeing the plants in different stages of growth really got me excited about the coming summer. I can't wait to go pick out my flowers and get them into the planters in my yard.

I'm still debating if I'm going to plant zucchinis again this year, or try another vegetable or simply go with flowers.

The colors were gorgeous and I am now really hyped up about my yard. Here are some of the flowers we saw today.

We noticed a lot of yellows and oranges - maybe they're the colors of the season this year. There were also a lot of purples (my favorite color) and some exceptionally pretty blues. Our first stop had a profusion of pansies.

I loved the deep purple petunias - they look like velvet. The begonias may be my favorites. I'm thinking of buying a couple of small planters and giving my granddaughters each a plant - maybe a sunflower, or a marigold - they're easy to grow.

As we approached one of the greenhouses, we were surprised by another being wanting to share the road. We gave her plenty of space. She crossed, then looked over her shoulder at us as we drove by her.

Great day. Spring is here. Life is good.