Spring is taking its sweet time this year. Everything is lagging behind thanks to our cooler than normal rainy weather. The trees are just afraid to leaf out! Some progress is being made however.

The daffodils were pretty as usual but are fading a bit now.

The forsythia is really lovely this year. You may remember that last year we had our large front hedge of forsythia taken out. I miss it, but Rick says he doesn’t. Now we just have three pretty bushes scattered throughout the yards.

I cut some branches and brought them inside to light up my day. Sam likes them too!

I wish the lilac would hurry up and bloom! It’s looked like this for two weeks now. If it waits until we are gone on our trip late next week I’ll be really disappointed! This shot was taken with the forsythia bush behind.

The periwinkle is blooming nicely in the front yard.

A row of hostas have broken ground and are growing daily.

We’ve had plenty of birds visiting the feeder. Normally we don’t have purple finches but right now we have several pairs. I think they are prettier than the house finch. You can tell the difference by their coloring which is more a rosy pink than the red of the house finch, the streaking and their slightly different body shape and size.

Lots of these cute little chipping sparrows too. Doesn’t he look like he’s wearing a toupee on his head?

Of course we have lots of bright yellow gold finches. I love these little birds!

The white-throated sparrows don’t come to the feeder but they do come to the front where I spread seed on the ground for the squirrels and chippies. They have a distinctive yellow streak by their eye, and a lovely easy to identify song.

At times there are so many different bird songs riding on the air that it’s hard to hear yourself think! I am not complaining though! I love them all.

And here is Alex just because I think he’s so darned cute. He was laying on the front porch while Rick washed Mia yesterday and found this tiny little stick that he’s holding between his paws.

More rain expected today but at least this week we’re supposed to have temperatures in the 70’s. That just might lure the trees into really popping those leaves!

Bird Addendum added late afternoon: My first rose-breasted grosbeak arrived this morning! I hope to get a better photo of him if he sticks around long enough. They usually just pass through. I think it looks like it has a bleeding heart on its chest. Beautiful birds, but then again, grosbeaks are one of my all-time favorite bird families.

And a house finch for comparison to Mr. Purple Finch.

It’s that time of year again when the cherry trees are in blossom in Branch Brook Park in Newark. Last year the trees were early and we were late to the party. This year I think we planned it at peak bloom time but the weather was not very nice. We went on Friday which was predicted to be mostly sunny, but it turned out to be mostly cloudy with a chilly wind. We knew that Saturday it was supposed to rain heavily (we ended up with 3.71 inches here at our house!) and be windy so we were worried that the trees would lose their blossoms after that. So, Friday it was!

We headed off in Mia, but with the top up in hopes that the day would turn warmer and sunnier.

The trees were absolutely beautiful. Everywhere you looked people gathered underneath them to bask in their glory, rapt looks of wonder on their faces turned upwards to the blossoms.

 

My photos would have been better with a nice blue sky as a backdrop to the blossoms but that was just not to be, so I had to make the best of the situation and just enjoy the day for what it was. (Even if my fingers were turning blue!) I hope you enjoy them. One thing is for certain: cherry trees come in all colors and all shapes and sizes.

 

 

 

 

 

A bird’s nest on the lower branch of a tree. What a lovely place for a home!

On one of the old bridges.

Some trees just seemed to have an inner glow about them.

 

A closer look at some blossoms.

 

The different shapes of the branches and how the tree has grown over the years is a source of fascination for me.

This particular tree was huge. And beautiful. I had to take it’s image from several different perspectives. From the front:

Underneath:

After passing it by:

I think you’ll agree it was worthy of all three shots. And, did you notice the woman in the distance with her easel in the “in front” shot?

I had to take a closer shot of her paints. So tidy! (Of course I asked her permission before photographing her painting.)

The Catholic Cathedral of the Sacred Heart as seen four different ways! I couldn’t decide which photo to use. Which one is your favorite view of the church including the cherry trees?

 

 

 

Just as we were leaving the park at around 3:00 p.m. the sun finally peeked through the clouds. Of course. We even got to put the top down on Mia on the drive home. Maybe next year we can hit peak blooming season and perfect weather all rolled into one!

I needed a color boost yesterday so I stopped by the local garden center, Eden Farms, to see what was being featured. Not as much as in previous years at this time, but still very pretty. Here is what I found to interest me color-wise.

Flats and flats of happy faced pansies.

Somehow the color combination of orange and purple works in nature.

Forsythia bushes just bursting with blooms waiting to be planted.

Lovely ranunculus!

Grape-hued hyacinth.

A few friendly dragons placed here and there. (I guess dragons can’t spell properly ... )

Tulips.

Cheery daffodils.

Blooms placed just about everywhere! I loved this old-style steel lawn furniture.

Bright and colorful tomato cages. These would certainly jazz up your garden!

And these colorful watering cans arranged very color-artistically.

Have I helped to boost your spirit with color today? It certainly is helping me this morning as I gaze out into a gray, somewhat rainy day. But hey, April showers are okay since they are supposed to bring May flowers, right? Bring on the flowers!

There are promises of Spring all around.

In the budding of the maple trees.

In the robins that are too numerous to count in our yard. Their monotonous songs saturate the early morning hours.

In the chicken-scratch dance of the Fox Sparrow, first sighted this weekend.

In the budding forsythia.

In the as-yet-unopened daffodil.

And the hope and expectation that rides on the very first lilac buds this bush has ever offered, which started as a tiny twig from my Mom’s lilac bush from her yard. I just wish she were here to see it bloom.

Spring is coming. Slowly, ever so slowly,  but surely.

A new season has been created here in New Jersey: Sprinter. Not Spring. Not Winter. Sprinter. Another snow swept through yesterday leaving everything looking like someone had traced around all the branches and trees with a big fat white marker.

The buds are confused.

And oh ... remember those little catkins I was so excited about? I think they were wise to wait.

Pretty? Yes. Wanted? NO.