At Last...

Spring is here.

Lovely Day for a Butterfly

Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa)
sunning itself on my deck railing

Matt reported to me that Lilith chased a butterfly this morning. I guess being outside in nice spring weather brought out her inner hunter. The butterfly escaped unharmed, and I found it later, sipping nectar from my Andromeda (Pieris sp.)

Mourning Cloak Butterfly (Nymphalis antiopa)
on an Andromeda (Pieris sp.)

Thinking of Martha

I had a chance to do some gardening today. I am always happiest to be gardening in the early spring when I've been away from the earth: inside and cold all winter long.

While cleaning up around some crocuses, I found myself thinking of Martha. I was sitting on a large rock I'd placed in the lower garden, contemplating the effort I'd put into placing some other large rocks... when I remembered Martha's friends and family talking about her love of gardening, and the fact that she'd proudly moved huge stones around on her own...

Crocus vernus 'Twilight' with an Unidentified Hymenopteran