Spring Has Sprung!

That's a hellebore up there, and down below too. I jammed my camera into the dirt and pointed up to the sky to get those shots. Hellebore blooms face the ground, for the most part, which is really a shame, because they are so beautiful! And the best part is, they bloom in early April!

These cherry blossoms are on my sister's cherry tree. Click to enlarge these...they all look better bigger. Heh. Just sayin'.

I'm pretty sure the below pic is apple blossoms. Or crabapple. Not sure. The tree was on the edge of the town park, and I just pulled over to start snapping pics.

For winter's rains and ruins are over,   And all the season of snows and sins;   The days dividing lover and lover,   The light that loses,  the night that wins;   And time remembered is grief forgotten,   And frosts are slain and flowers begotten,   And in green underwood and cover   Blossom by blossom the spring begins. 
Algernon Charles Swinburne  (1837–1909)
Atalanta in Calydon (1865)

I went to a memorial service this weekend for an old college friend's husband. They were married ten years ago. He took his own life after many tumultuous years battling alcohol addiction, and left two young kids behind. The memorial service was held in the little theater where the two of them had been married (a VERY fun wedding, performed like a play with Act I and Act II and everything...awesome!)

It was a wonderful tribute to him, from all of his acting friends, and friends of friends. His son even put on an impromptu play about a grasshopper and an exterminator, with volunteers from the audience, which was absolutely hilarious. The whole gathering was very casual--people just stood up in their seats to say a few words about their friend. It was a wonderful tribute, and just what a memorial service should be about, IMO. I hope that when I die, people will want to get together and talk about all of their happy memories of me, and not be moping about being somber. Life is short. Get on with it! :)

Oh, and I also got to see my friend Laura, who showed up from Ithaca out of the blue. She's an army wife, and they've been all over the place. I hadn't seen her for 8 years, and it didn't seem like a day had passed. I love having friends like that.

So...all in all...a great weekend. OH! And Kathleen arrived home safe and sound yesterday too! She has a few extra freckles from her trip to Florida, and I'm SO happy to have her back!