May 3, 2009

The front garden is flourishing.
The tulips are taking over.
Some of the tulips grew crooked. Since they face north, they must be seeking sun.
A brilliant pink color on the outside, the inside is a fascinating surprise of yellow and blue with a pink stigma in the center.
In the backyard, lilacs flourish. The bushes grow facing southeast.
They are fragrant. Their scent permeates the yard and is even detectable from the front yard.
Just last month these trees were bare but for tiny green buds. The flowers have one layer of four petals. The buds are round with an "x" cut in the top. The bush furthest from the corner is a mix of white and purple flowers. The fragrance of the flower is not affected by the color.
The flowers grow close together in a cone shape. The leaves are green and tough.
The lilac bush in the corner boasts white blooms only and has far fewer flowers than the one further from the corner. The side that grows against the fence is flat. Looking at the source of the tree, it seems there are three small trunks all growing separately but together.
This lilac bush is just beginning to bloom. The cone clusters of flowers are primarily made up of closed buds.

Under the maple tree grows another lilac with bright purple buds and open flowers with a bluish tint.

Dead and dry brown flowers that once held seeds still cling to the Rose of Sharon, but green buds are beginning to take over.
Underneath the Rose of Sharon are very tall neon orange Tulips. They seem to be a different variety of tulip than the tulips in the front garden. Taller. Straighter. Less leaves. Open wider.
The petals open like tiny tea cups.
Inside, bright orange gives way to a wavy triangle of yellow.
The petals are many shades of orange and yellow.

The vines on the wall have sprouted leaves. Green and red shiny, tri-pointed leaves.
The moss is turning brown and red and the teal lichens/moss are losing color under the now blooming vines. Water is at a premium.
The vines are quite possibly poison ivy. Little hooks grow off the vines and cling to the wall. They are especially evident on the largest of vines. The little flowers that once lived on the largest vine have disappeared. I dare not touch the leaves or vines to find out what they feel like for fear of a nasty rash.
The vine extends horizontally across the adjoining wall.
The corner is less populated by vines. The moss is able to thrive here. It is thick and green and moist.

Spring is a time of thriving things.

April 30, 2009

Pink flowers adorn the Cherry Blossom Tree. The blooms are new enough that very few petals blanket the ground below the tree. Fragrance is minimal. The leaves are green, but thin enough to see through. The leaves are almond shaped and come to a thin point at the top. Miniscule hair-like bits fringe the edges of the leaves. An inch worm crawls along a leaf he has eaten a hole through. He is translucent and looking closely one can see the small segments that make up his body. The flowers are feathery. Each petal is oval with ruffled edges. Each flower is made up of three layers of petals. In the center of the flowers are many stamen. The stamen are short on the outside and progressively increase in height working inward to the center.

April 27, 2009

On a 75 degree day, not a cloud in the sky, a bird rests on the branch of a near-to-blooming tree. It is well camouflaged. Only its singing gives it away. It sits on a straight thick branch from which many thinner branches protrude. The bird is grayish-brown. Its tail is flat and rounded like a popsicle stick. The wind ruffles some of the feathers on the bird's back. The breast of the bird is marked with lines of white feathers. Its eyes are small black beads. The beak is also black. Unlike other birds, its legs are black or gray and near invisible against the branches of the tree.

April 25, 2009

5:43 a.m. Essex Inn, Newburyport, MA. Pink and purple clouds dot the sky.
The clouds move across the sky.
The clouds are dark in places. Maybe the dark clouds are thicker. Maybe just as clouds cast shadows on the earth, buildings cast shadows on clouds. Maybe it is just because of the position of the sun in the sky.
The sun filters through casting a pink light on everything it touches.
Slowly the sun rises and the sky changes color. The light clouds stand out on a bright blue sky.
It is already very warm. The birds chirp. A bumble bee buzzes by the window.
Behind the buildings and trees to the east a peek of bright pink is slow to disappear.

Smokey puffy, friendly clouds keep moving away. No birds fly across the sky.

The natural beauty of the clouds and the sky are juxtaposed against the large commercial buildings and telephone poles.

April 24, 2009

It is 70 degrees in Newburyport. No breeze. Fresh leaves on some trees;others still bare. The water is calm, but the natural current is visible. Grass on the green is... green.
The birches are bare. Across the water brown marsh grass grows high. Green and red buds are visible on the trees across the water, but no leaves have burst forth yet.
The maple has leaves. New, fresh, green. The sky is blue and clear of clouds. It is evening and the air is beginning to cool. There are no seagulls, birds or wildlife of any sort in terms of sound or sight. Only people. People and their children and pets on the green and walking along the water.

April 13, 2009

Iris is a domestic long-haired cat. The "M" marking on her forehead, tufts on the points of her ears, tufted feet, long fluffy tail, and bigger long body are indicative of the"Maine Coon Cat".
Her fur is longer on her sides and belly, but slightly shorter on her back, neck, head, and face. It is soft, thick, and many layered. All of her body is dark and striped. Her belly is soft and yellow.
She looks extra-large, but most of her is fur. Her shoulders, spine, hips, legs, knees and elbows can be felt beneath her fur. The only extra flesh she carries is underneath on her belly. Hairs grow from her ears. Her muzzle is white and brown with black dots that her white whiskers grow out of. Her nose is flat, moist and pink.
When petted, she purrs loud and long. When sounds are made, her ears turn in the direction of the sound. If agitated, her tale flicks back and forth and her eyes narrow.She rests with her tail wrapped around her for warmth and protection. When lifted from where she lays, her underside radiates heat and leaves a warm spot behind.

April 10, 2009

The maple tree across the street is two toned. The south-facing side is thick with light green buds. The north-facing side is just beginning to bud here and there if one looks closely. What a difference the sun makes. The tree grows on a hill. The south-facing side of the tree is closer to the bottom of the hill. The north-facing side grows nearer the top of the hill. Maybe the soil is different at the top of the hill than the bottom. Maybe the water runs down the hill and soaks in more at the bottom giving the south-facing side of the tree more water. The south-facing side of the trunk is thicker and the tops of two thick roots are exposed and growing toward the bottom of the hill. The tree seems to lean toward the sun, toward the south in every way.