Petals In the Crosswalk

 The crab apple tree swayed and creaked in each gust of wind, shaking loose its blossoms. A pink storm of petals swirled then scattered over the crosswalk in tides. They blew across the street and washed up against the curb. It's a color combination seen most often in Good & Plenty boxes or 1950s-style diners. Those petals, whipped loose on a day more like late February than April, are a sign that summer greens will soon replace the pastel pinks of spring. 

YellowJasmine and Dandelions

 Two plants are blooming, each the color of sunshine. One pokes through the fence from its special spot in a front yard. The others live on the edge, literally, between the fence and the street. Although they put on a show as cheerful as that of the fenced in jasmine, the dandelions are unwelcome. Their relatives on the lawn inside the fence have been, or will be, vigorously exterminated. We decide what is a weed and what is a desirable plant. But any three-year-old realizes that there is just as much joy to be had in a fistful of dandelions.

Spring Puddle

 A light rain fell on a gray afternoon Time to go for a walk On the path through the park was a puddle edged with cherry blossom petals. The puddle reflected a tree and the sky. Drip drip, drip. Each raindrop overlapped the next in concentric circles. The tree in the water-mirror shimmered. Its edges blurred; a moving watercolor in a puddle, painted wet on wet,

Cherry Tree and Bench

 Cherry trees of every size and type are in full flower, all over the neighborhood. I discover new ones on each street. Many people experience the annual cherry blossom spectacle only from the seat of a car, driving past the trees. They sometimes remark that the cherry trees are disappointingly white. It’s a different view when you walk among the trees Those fluffy masses of blooms have fine markings in pinks and reds. This is what gives them such a delicate tint. I hope you all find somewhere to sit for a while, enjoy and really examine a cherry tree in bloom.