After the storm

Normally, it would be time for the annual garden tour, but with this spring being a bit cool and rainy  my plants are not yet showing off.  They are close, though. Real close.

The peony buds are covered in ants that await their arrival near as much as I and the rose buds arch up toward the sun as it coaxes them to open and show the world their scarlet red petals.

Oh spring.  It is my favorite and this year it seems to have slipped perfectly into summer.  We may have all been none the wiser had summer not announced itself so clearly with cymbal clashes and fireworks.  Not convinced of it's power we huddled quietly on the couch, four levels of anxiety lap upon lap, Addi ill and feverish.  We awoke to blessings of sun and bird song and mere branches scattered throughout the yard.  Our "random" bush, for I don't know what kind it is exactly, was the worse for wear having been heaved sidelong into our neighbors yard.  It had finally become a nice shade tree for my hammock days of leisure.  The bird nest was evicted along with it's eggs.

After storm induced "hair cut"

All around our neighbors dealt with power outages & upturned trees and other damage. A block away the girls and I stumbled upon another bird nest full with what may have been two or three featherless offspring too liquefied to count accurately.  And all I could wonder is whether or not these feather fathers and mothers felt the loss of life as acutely as you and me? After all, if dogs dream & even times die of loneliness after the loss of a long time master, then why couldn't birds mourn the loss of what could have been?

 All things considered, we fared well.