Easter Bonnets

This past weekend, Sam and I traveled up to Kansas to visit my parents and celebrate Mama's birthday. For those of you playing at home, it also happened to be Easter.

(Which, for the record, was very strange. I can't remember the last time Easter was that close to Mama's birthday.)

Many of the local churches were having Easter Egg Hunts on Saturday instead of Sunday, which meant that the little neighbor girls were all dressed up in their Easter dresses both days. Since my brother and I have yet to provide our parents with grandchildren to spoil, the little neighbor girls fill the void.

So, on Saturday, they had to come over and show off to my parents their pretty new dresses and hats. My mother insisted I take pictures.

Aren't they absolutely adorable?

Here's a solo shot of Big Sis. I think she was regretting coming over and having a strange woman take pictures of her.

Little Sis was also feeling bashful. I absolutely love the way this picture came out, though. Almost makes me feel like a real photographer!

Their mother is close to me in age, so my parents really do view them as surrogate granddaughters.

I think they're okay with that though.

Roses

I looked out my window today and immediately had to grab my camera.

My roses are blooming.

Some are just tiny buds.

Others are so close to actually opening up to the sun.

This one is channeling its inner Audrey II.

This is the only one that's grown brave enough to open up. I think it's lovely.

Of course, my roses aren't the only ones blooming.

My pretty irises are getting in on the act too.

They make me smile.

Then and Now

Eight weeks ago, this was the view out my front door:

So snowy. So cold.

So bleak. So desolate.

A frozen wasteland, if you will.

But that was then...

and this is now!

The trees are blooming.

The grass is green.

And there's color everywhere!

Hints of Spring

Today is absolutely beautiful outside. It's in the low-seventies with a light wind out of the south. The birds are singing, the cats are pouncing, and I just had to go outside and say hello to the world.

So, I decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, and on a whim I took my camera with me.

It's beginning to look a lot like springtime.

Grass is starting to poke its way up in the back yard.

People have been painting the rest of the grass green. (Actually, this is a result of the fertilizer that a certain company in town will put on peoples' lawns, but it always looks to me like they're trying to paint it green.)

Flowers are trying to make their way above ground so that they can bloom soon.

Just like our neighbor's tree.

Some things are already blooming in our yard.

While the holly berries are bright and cheerful.

And the final sign that spring is almost here?

The local wildlife is out hunting!

Rocky start

"You realize that once summer gets here we're going to have to get up at the crack of dawn to work on the yard, right?"

"Of course I do, Sam. Number one, we'll need to do any watering needed before it gets too hot so we don't boil the plants. Number two, we'll need to do the yard work before it gets so hot that we start to boil too. I have lived through Oklahoma summers before, you know."

"I'm well aware of that. It just occurs to me that if we're going to have to start getting up at six in the morning--"

"--we should start doing it now. Ah well, it'll give us a chance to have breakfast before we start working."

*    *    *    *    *

"Holly..."

"mmph."

"Honey bun, it's time to get up."

"nu-uh."

"Yes, it is. We're going to have breakfast before working in the yard, remember?"

"Pillows. Nest. Bed."

"Don't do that, baby girl. Hiding your head under the covers is not going to help. Now come on..."

"But--but--snuggles!"

"We can snuggle later. Now crawl out from under the covers. There we go."

"Sammy is a big meanie."

"Yes, yes I am."

*    *    *    *    *

"About done with your cereal and coffee?"

"I have a little more coffee left. Plus I'm trying to come up with a word in my game with Mom."

"Well, finish up. It's nearly 7:15, and I'll need to take a shower before work."

"Alright, alright. You act like it's my fault or something."

"Well, it did take me thirty minutes to get you out of--"

"--which is why we're starting this now, so I'm used to it when it becomes necessary."

"I suppose. Now, are you coming outside or not?"

"I'm a coming, I'm a coming, let me grab my jacket."

*    *    *    *    *

"Wow, it's cold out here."

"Too cold, Sammy?"

"Weeeeellllllll, I can almost see my breath."

"Then can we go back inside? Now?"

"Yeah, let's go back inside. At least I managed to get you up this morning."

"Pillows! Bed! Nest!"