Spring-like

The Japanese Magnolias in our neighbor's yard are in full bloom. For two weeks out of the year, the tree explodes with pink-ish lavender blooms all over. Matt and I aren't fans of this tree ordinarily, but we've just about agreed that these two weeks make up for the other boring fifty.

The water oaks are shedding their leaves, leaving piles of yellow leaves pooling in the street. Good neighbor Bob was out front yesterday sweeping up the leaves in piles and bagging them. I remarked to him on the backwardness of a tree losing it's leaves in the spring, and he informed me "the sap is rising and pushing out the old leaves to make room for the new."

This morning I noticed Miss Libby's potted geraniums and rabbit's foot fern have been put back out on the front steps in the wake of recent warmer weather. No sooner did I see that than I heard her lawn mower crank on and my eighty-six year old neighbor slowly pushing the shiny green machine down her driveway to the front yard. I waved to her as I put Karis in her car seat, and she waved back. When Karis asked who I waved to, I responded, "Miss Libby, my hero".

I like getting to know the seasonal calender of my neighborhood a little bit more every year.