Yup, Spring!

The termites are flying. Big, ungainly, black, ant-like, winged reminders of the real rulers of the earth.

I don’t mind them any more, but when I was a child, I was quite “freaked out” the first time I saw them. They mean SPRING is really here — life is looking for places to appear, the world is healing rifts and making new places

I had the budgie outside for about an hour just now — it is sunny, but in the way that includes the high-cirrus clouds, the wispy ones that come when it’s humid. Which it is today. Very sunny.
The current humidity outside is 59%. It’s about 25 C… 77 F. Which is not as hot as they said it might be. I think the clouds helped deflect some of that heat back into space.

And I just came in from walking around the yard. As I expected, the nectarine’s leaves are completely shriveled already. I will have to cut it down this year. Maybe this weekend. Next weekend at the latest… Which makes me sad. I really like that tree. The remaining peach tree, however, appears healthy at the moment.

Other sights around the yard… the cherry tree in FULL bloom. Here are just the branches. I really hope the bees are out and about this weekend!

The late-blooming tulips in full glory, one on top of the mound (its twin is near the rather sad little mulberry, no pic today) and two gorgeous purple and white near the roses…

A yellow iris. Apparently the only one that will bloom this year. Will need to investigate to see what happened to the others.

The lilacs — light purple and the tall, dark purple one, and yes — they smell wonderful!

Daisies along the driveway…

The hosta at the north end of the house, a lasting reminder of my friend and neighbor who died a couple weeks ago. He brought me several wheel-barrow loads of plants as he divided them the first year we lived here. Thank you again, Murray.

The rose he gave me at the same time, I call it Lois’s Rose (I don’t know its real name) in honor of his wife who died just a few months after we moved in, is not blooming yet — not even budding, but I love the way the leaves come in a deep, almost-purple burgundy and change gradually to a lovely dark green with red veins.

Finally, the little garden that I hope I can get the elder stidkid to weed tomorrow. I took a separate pic of the lovely “ragged robin” my mother in law gave me a few years ago. It is a spectacular plant. More so, when you can actually see it (If you are the first person to tell me where it is in the pic of the whole garden, I will make a stepping-stone with your name for my garden and post a pic in this blog) ! I do love the forget-me-nots in this bed, too.

That’s it for today… will be picking up kids for a shopping trip into town, and dinner at a restaurant. Too hot to cook!

addendum, 20 May:

the “Ragged Robin” is a “Lychnis flos-cuculi“, related to the rose campion, and apparently highly invasive in the right locations and conditions. Thanks “FMitch” of Babbleland who ID’d it for me!