April Showers and My Flowers

This spring has been glorious so far. We have had days of balmy breezes, rainstorms, wind, sun and crisp mornings. The flowers in my garden are lovin' it; in fact, all of Sacramento is blooming, a city in living color. Azaleas, camillas, dogwood, lavender, the list goes on. My roses are blooming, and, as you can see, my iris. Some of the stalks of iris have up to 6 blossoms, and the blooms are huge.

Yesterday and today are rainy, but the days before that were warm and sunny, and the sun will be out again in another day or so. I couldn't ask for more. Today, a journey to the local Starbucks is on the list, not for coffee to drink, although I might indulge, but coffee grounds for the plants. Good compost, and I'm told that it repels snails and slugs, although I'll need a couple of cubic yards to help the buggers in my vegetable garden. They are HUNGRY, and have eaten numerous plantings. Grrrrrrrr.

Lately I've had reasons to think about how small this world is, and how much we are affected by events happening on the other side of the globe.

The volcano in Iceland is an example. As we watch the news, or read blurbs on our home pages, it doesn't feel connected, yet everything that happens has a way of touching us in one form or another. Here is how the connection works in my universe: The volcano goes off, and I get to see Alice in Wonderland and eat Chinese food. Like that?

Here is the path: Four of my friends have planned a trip to Paris for a long time, a dream trip for them. They had to cancel because of the airline nightmare, and so, this week, they are home, and not at work. Since they are here, they called us and asked if we had seen the movie, and did we want to go and then eat at Frank Fats afterwards... so six of us went to the movies and ate Chinese. Jim and I probably would not have made it to the movie before it went away, and while I love Chinese food, we have been conservative on eating out lately. So, there you have it, volcano blows, and we eat Chinese.

I've been spending more time with friends lately, treasuring this slower-paced life. Last week I had lunch at a little vegetarian restaurant in Fair Oaks, called the Sunflower. It served the best nutburger/patty melt I've ever eaten. My taste buds were dancing in my mouth. I know that it was on wheat bread, but it was so good. There aren't many tables (just a long picnic style bench inside, and little ones out of doors), but Melinda and I sat at a little wrought iron cafe table in the sun, and watched the chickens of Fair Oaks. These birds wander around in all their glory, and are fearless. I have them on my list of "must paints".