The Saga of the Lilacs

 Of all the places I've ever lived, I think the Denver area has the wackiest weather. Last year the lilacs were just beginning to bloom the week before Mother's Day. We have a lovely stand of tall lilac bushes along the back of our deck and I was so looking forward to enjoying the delicate color and delightful fragrance of lilacs in full bloom, when we got hit with a late spring snow storm.

Spring snow is wet and heavy. The leaves and blossoms hold the snow and weight the branches down. So that was the end of the lilacs last year. I was hopeful that this year would be different. The weather was milder and the lilacs budded out earlier.

They weren't quite in full-bloom when we, again, got another spring snow storm. Again, the branches were weighted down with the heavy snow. I was so disappointed, just sure that was the end of lilacs for another year.

However, the temperature hovered just above freezing, so the lilac blossoms were tenaciously hanging on. I thought it still might freeze during the  night last night...

...but it didn't. This morning, when the sun came out, I was happy to see the branches beginning to spring back up as the snow was melting away.

One large branch had snapped off, so before the flowers had a chance to wilt and die I went out and "harvested" them...

...and arranged them in a lovely bouquet to enjoy indoors.

I'm so glad the lilacs survived this year!

(High drama in my backyard, right?)

Instagram Update

I find I'm chronicling some of the tiny moments of my life with the Instagram app. Like I mentioned before, I'm not one for selfies, but it is kinda fun to snap a quick shot of some little thing that caught my eye. Later, I enjoy looking back through the moments I captured. From the last few weeks...

Still #playingwithinstagram

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jan 21, 2015 at 7:43pm PST

January 21. Light snow caught on the bark of a tree outside the office... I thought the textured filter added a neat effect, too.

So... does the lettuce wrap and the sweet potato fries cancel out the carbs in the milk shake? #workinglate #Sonlight25

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jan 22, 2015 at 3:31pm PST

January 22. A quick supper with co-workers before the Inspire25 event that evening. All four of us had lettuce-wrapped hamburgers... and milk-shakes!

Taking the light rail downtown. Mid-morning is definitely the best time to ride! #introvert #publictransportation

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jan 23, 2015 at 9:17am PST

January 23. I met a friend in downtown Denver for lunch and didn't want to try to find a parking spot, so I took the train.

Saturday morning breakfast date at the Golden Diner. #coffee #Colorado

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Jan 24, 2015 at 7:04am PST

January 24. For our breakfast date that Saturday we drove to Golden and ate at an old-timey diner. I like taking pictures of a cup of coffee, apparently.

#breakfastdate #brainstorming #chickfila #lovemyman

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Feb 21, 2015 at 7:33am PST

February 21. My daily snapshots didn't last long. A few weeks later our breakfast date was at Chick-fil-A. We were trying to work through some details for our family budget that morning.

Cute new mug for my Monday morning #coffee. #Sonlight #goodmorning

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Mar 2, 2015 at 5:40am PST

March 2. And another coffee picture with a new mug from my Secret Sis.

Love the blue sky and sun! #Colorado #spring

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Mar 9, 2015 at 4:14pm PDT

March 9. I actually didn't know about this picture until I started getting comments on it. Turns out I had left my phone at home one afternoon, and "someone" decided it would be fun to post a picture for me. Could be worse!

#lookingfortulips, #earlyspring

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Mar 15, 2015 at 3:16pm PDT

March 15. I noticed tulips coming up in the backyard. I hope they bloom this year. Last year a spring snowstorm ruined them.

#sunsetinthecity #denver

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Mar 16, 2015 at 6:05pm PDT

16 March. Mountain sunsets are spectacular, even in city traffic.

#firstdayofspring #crocus

A photo posted by @karlacinid on Mar 20, 2015 at 8:09am PDT

20 March. I was delighted to discover crocuses emerging on the first day of spring. Not my yard, but close enough.

Happy spring!

A Cuddle of Bunnies

"Mom, can you step outside for a moment?" she asked.

"Why? What do you need?" I wondered.

"I just want to show you something real quick. It's so cute!"

So I followed her out the door and to the end of the porch.

"Be real quiet," she cautioned. "See? Two babies and a mama!"

They were cuddled up against the house next door.

"How darling!" I whispered. "Let me go get my camera. I bet I can get pictures with the zoom lens."

Even from 6 or 8 feet away, the whir of the camera frightened the first little bunny back into the hole under the porch.

I'm not sure that the larger bunny is the mama. 

I think maybe he's the brother bunny with two little sister bunnies.

But who am I to judge? 

Bunnies don't put pink and blue booties on their babies so we can tell the girls from the boys!

And then there was one!

Mama or big brother... whichever it was... anyway, it was the bravest one.

Spring Update

And again, weeks have gone by without an update... but by now I'm sure you know what that means, right? Busy-ness on the home front!

Last time I posted from Fairbanks, Alaska hoping to report in with pictures of the Northern Lights. Sadly, I didn't get to see them. I had found out, just a day or two before I left, that often hotels take a shuttle out in the middle of the night if the Lights are out. You can put in a request at the front desk for a wake-up call if they end up taking the van out. I inquired at my hotel, and sure enough, they offered that service. So I put my name on the list... but still no luck. 

I did get to see the Alaska Pipeline. Not that it's much consolation since it's always there... not an elusive thing like the Northern Lights.

 Didn't see any Alaskan wildlife either... but hey, there were moose droppings along the Pipeline! Does that count? No? I didn't think so.

Speaking of moose droppings... some enterprising outfit has come up with a way to market the stuff! In the souvenir aisle at WalMart, no less. All kinds of "punny" things made with shellacked and preserved moose poop! There was even a "lipstick" that had a label that said, "It won't heal your chapped lips, but it'll keep you from licking them!" Um. Yeah. I reckon it would do that!

Home again. It's been a busy few weeks with a special weekend conference at church, and getting ready again for my next trip: Des Moines, Iowa this weekend.

One evening we enjoyed a double-date with some friends at a pizza place up in the mountains. We ate on the deck overlooking a mountain stream. It's been a lot of fun to find new "favorite" places as we settle in.

The spring weather here in Colorado has been very fickle. We've had some lovely, warm spring days. The tulips and the cherry tree bloomed and faded. Trees have leafed out and the lilacs were in full bloom last week. And then... on Mother's Day it started snowing. And it snowed for hours. Days even. Well, two days anyway. We ended up with several inches... as in 6 or 8 inches. In mid-May.  I was not amused. We did not move south for this!

Honestly, it wouldn't have been too bad because, obviously, it is already melting quickly away. However, the heavy, wet snow accumulated on the leaves of the trees, and the weight actually broke several limbs on trees in our yard. We're waiting to see what the final damage looks like once the snow has completely melted and the trees and lilac bushes have had a chance to recover. We are planning to have Rebecca's graduation in our backyard in June, so I hope it won't be too ugly.

Spring Break Staycation

This past week was my dad's spring break (as a school bus driver) so he and Mother brought Rebecca home and spent the week with us. Regrettably, I had to work most of the time they were here so we didn't have time to do a lot of sight-seeing during the week. Mostly we just enjoyed visiting in the evenings. They headed back home on Friday morning.

As it turns out, Lyle and I both had Friday and Saturday off, and the weather was beautiful, so we decided to do a little sight-seeing with the kids. On Friday we decided to visit the Garden of the Gods outside Colorado Springs.

It was a beautiful, sunny day but the breeze was a little chilly so this turned out to be a good choice, as we could see a lot from the car.

We stopped at several pull-outs to take pictures.

We did go on one short hike. 

The rest of the family even climbed on some of the rocks for a better view. I was content to stay on the trail and snap pictures.

We are thoroughly enjoying exploring our new home area. We have a long list of things we'd still like to see and do, and as the weather warms up I'm sure we'll manage to fit in a few more.

Daylight Saving Sunrise

Taken from the office this morning. (Littleton, Colorado). Gorgeous, huh?

My backyard...

...does not offer as much "scope for the imagination" as the open road does... but I like it anyway. I've been enjoying just being at home for the past couple of weeks. It's been rainy and cool, which is not that unusual for June in these parts.

 Laura's strawberry plants are thriving. I think they like the wet, cool days. Laura planted them last year, so this is the first real harvest we've had from these plants. I do love fresh berries.

 I've put in a tiny garden, with just 6 or 8 plants. And, of course, the weeds appreciate the rain as much as the veggie plants do. I think it's time to get out the hoe.

 Over in the chicken coop Becky's pullets are happy and healthy. They bawk loudly every time they see her step outside, and when she lets them out of the pen they trail along behind her like she's the Mother Hen. They are definitely entertaining. And finally, they are beginning to look like real chickens. We're hoping for eggs sometime in September.

 I had actually gone out back to take a picture of this year's graduation afghan that I recently completed for my nephew. (Last year's picture is here... and the one for 2010 is here.) Notice who is lurking just to the right of the chair?

 It's Tabitha the Cat, who doesn't care that she's quite fat.

Nor does she care that she's also very undignified as she rolls around on her back waving her paws in the air.

I guess my own backyard is not so boring after all!

Natasha's Lambs

 "Would you like to come out and see the lambs?" she asked at church last Sunday.

You see, all winter I've been asking her, "Are you going to have lambs in the spring?"

Natasha has three pet ewes and all three were expecting "blessings" this spring. I looked forward to seeing pictures and reading about them on her blog, Day by Day. I mean, seriously, is there anything cuter than babies in the spring?

Sadly, one of the ewes lost her babies, but another one had twins, and third one a single-- so there are three babies. And when Natasha invited us to visit the lambs we jumped at the chance. Yesterday was a perfect day for it-- sunny and warm.

The sheep were in the orchard which is, of course, in bloom. Ah, spring! Curious, as many farm animals are, they were interested to see us coming along the lane.

Natasha introduced them to us. This mama is Sweet Pea. Her older daughter (born last year) is Maggie-- also known as the Nibblin' Lamb-- and her new baby is Katniss.

Emma, the white sheep, has twins, Amy and Rory. The babies decided it was time for a quick snack... and I have to tell you, a still picture does not do this moment justice. It is just adorable to watch the little lamb tails wag furiously as they nurse.

After a little while the sheep seemed to get comfortable with us being there in the orchard with them. Sweet Pea and Katniss snuffled on my feet. Later Maggie decided to try to take nibble! Which, of course, is how she got her nickname.

Just look at this sweet face! I could sit and watch the lambs all day, I think. Natasha says they're especially fun to watch in the morning when the lambs run and skip. They had settled down in the warm afternoon by the time we arrived, so we didn't get to see them gambol.

We wandered on down the lane to visit the other farm animals. Here Bob peeks around the barn at us. He's not sure it's worth leaving the shade to say hello.

 But Natasha finally coaxed him out. He's a dear ol' fellow. Age 22.

We finished up our tour by stopping by to see the Guard Llamas and Calvin-the-Pet-Ram. The Bonnie Dog was our escort for the duration of the tour. We had Cookie with us, and she and Bonnie seemed to enjoy getting acquainted.

It was a fun afternoon. I'm so glad Natasha invited us to stop by!

Purple Pretties

"I gotta run some errands, Mom," she said as she tried to hurry out the door yesterday afternoon.

It's not like her to not say where she's going. "You just ran some errands this morning. What errands do you have to run now?"

"Oh... just errands," she said vaguely.

 I was beginning to get alarmed. "Dad knows," she reassured me. "I just can't tell you."

A-ha! Mother's Day is coming up. I had forgotten. And so, off she went on her "secret" errand.

***

We'll be gone this weekend, so yesterday evening my family presented me with a gorgeous hanging basket full of petunias and other complementary flowers I don't know the names of. I was told it would

love the sun, but needs plenty of water. I have a perfect place to hang it, just outside the kitchen door on the back deck.

Such a thoughtful family I have! I will enjoy my Mother's Day flowers all summer.

***

I stepped outside the front door this morning to take a picture of my miniature azalea bush which is flourishing nicely. It was a house-warming gift from my friend, Kay, when we moved into our home 5 years ago.

I'm glad it has thrived. It reminds me of sweet Kay in heaven every time I notice it. The Precious Moments statuette is in memory of our previous dog, Murphy. So this is my little "memorial garden."

***

My lilacs are coming on, too. I expect they'll be in full bloom when we get back from our trip week-after-next.

I do love spring!

Springtime Babies

{goslings at Falls Park}

Emily said,
"I think ducklings are lovely."

"Yes," said Little Bear,
"and owlets are nice, too.
Owl says they are."

Emily laughed.
"Oh," she said,
"I love all little animals."

"Me, too," said Little Bear.
--Little Bear's Friends by Else Holmelund Minarik

Pike Place Tulips

We didn't make it to the tulip farms this year, but I have to say, Pike Place Market in the spring is the next-best thing!

One morning last weekend Lyle and I met my cousin in downtown Seattle for coffee at Starbucks on the waterfront. It was a misty spring morning... typical for Seattle... perfect coffee-drinking weather... which is probably why coffee is so popular in Seattle, come to think of it.

After we finished our coffee I asked my cousin if the tulips were still in season at Pike Place Market. She lives and works near the Market, and had posted a picture of the tulips a few weeks ago. I was afraid the season might be over, as we've had an early spring. Much to my delight, she said they were still there.

I decided right then that I needed to see them for myself, so we walked over to the Market. Oh, my goodness! Such a feast for the eyes... masses of brilliant colors and delicate petals.

I wanted to take a bouquet home, but every pre-arranged bouquet was prettier than the last, and I could not make up my mind.

I watched one of the workers assembling an arrangement that included red tulips and gorgeous ruffled daffodils. "That's the one!" I decided. But even as Lyle paid for it, I was second guessing my choice. Maybe I should have taken the pink arrangement? Or the yellow and purple one? I think I could have stood there all day deliberating over the options.

Hot coffee. Pleasant conversation. Gorgeous flowers. Is there a better way to enjoy a springtime morning?

Early Spring

Our beautiful spring weather continues. Easter was a bright, sunny day with balmy temperatures. A lovely day for worshiping, relaxing, and fun family activities. We opted not to go to the early service or breakfast at church, due to the long hours Lyle had worked last week. After putting in 77 hours, he decided that it might be wise to sleep in a bit.

Late in the evening we went for a walk in Falls Park. I thought we might see some ducklings, but maybe it's still a little early for babies yet. We'll be sure to check back soon.

 But look here! See the tiny yellow flowers in the grass? Spring is officially here! (Still no blooms in my yard... but Falls Park is only about 2 miles away, so it can't be long.)

 Lots of water flowing over the dam, but it's still not at full capacity. One side of the gates was not completely open. I expect the snow on the mountains will be melting pretty quickly now, if the sunny days we're enjoying continue.

Happy Spring!

Springtime Fragments

Today seems like a good day for a Friday Fragments post, especially since that's how my schedule has been lately-- fragmented.

However, it's spring! And the weather in these parts has been cooperating nicely. Still no flower sightings, but we are having sunshine regularly. That's always a good thing!

Sunday afternoon drives are one of our favorite ways to relax on the Day of Rest. Lately we've been watching for signs of spring. There is still snow on the mountains and the trees are still bare... but it's shirt-sleeve weather when the sun is out!

 The chickies are happy and thriving in their little brooder box in the garage, but they are growing fast. It will soon be time to move them into their coop in the backyard.

Becky and her daddy got it all set up for them, and she takes them out daily for a play time to get used to their new home. Lots of "chicken spectating" going on in our backyard these days!

Lyle's been working long hours again. The print shop recently got some new equipment that requires construction of a "clean room"-- whatever that is. The equipment came with 3 computers. I was amused at his makeshift "computer lab" as he got the computers up and running, ready to put into place when the room is completed. He said each one had a different version of Windows on it.

In other news, the neighbors are building a new garage, to replace the one that burned down a few weeks ago. We've been watching the progress with interest. (Laura calls me a "stalker" for taking pictures!)

I've also been:

• working
• homeschooling
• preparing for my upcoming homeschool conventions
• studying for the class I'll be teaching for the spring trimester at co-op
• helping out at the print shop when there's something I can do
• thinking about writing (but not getting much done)
• poking around in my genealogy and family history at odd moments
• crocheting and reading in my spare time, as always

And that pretty much wraps it up for this week's Friday Fragments post.

Have a Blessed Easter!