Holtville Hot

I just walked home. It's 5:30pm and it's 92 degrees out. Part of my family lives in Holtville, CA, 130 miles east of San Diego. It's always hot there, but right now it's only 2:30pm, and it's 83 degrees. I can't believe it's hotter here than even Holtville. Tomorrow's high is expected to be 58 degrees. Whew. The heat is very pleasant in short spurts, if you stand still. I ate lunch outside with some friends today, and it was delightful, in the shade.

Lovely Day

I just heard Bill Withers's 'Lovely Day.' Now, it's 'Woman' by John Lennon. Billy is curled up in my lap, the birds are chirping outside my window, and I'm drinking a Harpoon IPA. Life is grand.

It's supposed to be 94 degrees with a chance of rain tomorrow and 60 degrees Wednesday. Welcome to New England spring.

The grass is so green now.

I love the new leaves. Greg and I went hiking in the White Mountains of New Hampshire with his running club for the weekend, and when we came back, all of the trees were covered in baby greens.

The Birds and the Bees and the Flowers and the Trees

Love is in the air. The birds are singing, and I know many downy chicks are coming my way soon.

This robin sings from the Harvard Medical School Quad every morning as I walk in to work.

Below, an Oak tree starts again.

I used to see large groups of geese. Now I see pairs almost exclusively.

See the wispy ends at the top of this tree? That's new growth.

Maybe it's hard to see from these photos, but the tulips opened up so much in only one day.

The tree below is already losing its flowers, and making room for new leaves.

Another goose pair. I can't wait for the goslings!

Look at all of this green!

Commonwealth Avenue

Along the Boston Marathon. I saw Greg at mile 6.2 and mile 24.5, then I went to meet him at the finish line. He was wiped out, but what a great day!

Everyone plants daffodils.

Can you imagine being the window washers for the Hancock Tower? At 60 stories, it's the tallest building in Boston. (I don't know what that smudge is...)

I've been seeing lots of romance between the geese. And with several pairs, one of them was sitting. I can't imagine they sit on eggs so far out in the open. Hmm.

This is in the Victory Gardens near my apartment. You can rent a lot and keep a garden if you don't have your own yard. As the weather gets nicer, I will wander through there more.

Boston vs. San Diego

Today, Boston was warmer than San Diego. It was 68 degrees in San Diego, and 69 degrees in Boston. This afternoon, some friends and I left work and went for ice cream at JP Licks (named for Jamaica Plain, a neighborhood here). People were playing whiffle ball and frisbee and laying on the grass of the Harvard Medical School Quad. People enjoy the sunshine in San Diego, too of course, but there's more of a sense of rejoicing here, as it's been such a long time since the weather's been so nice.

And Mom, the flowers outside my apartment are magnolias.

A Garden, Everywhere

It's so beautiful here now. Spring is happening very slowly, but since I get to walk a mile to and from work, I can watch it all happen a little more each day. It's so beautiful.

Above and below are the same tree. Susan always identifies her flowers by genus and species, plus the common name. I'm not going to do that, but I hope you appreciate the flowers just the same.

The shrubbery below looks ratty and yuck...

...but look closely - something's happening.

There are several Magnolia trees on my block.

There are daffodils blooming, and they're very sunny and cheerful, but I love the flowering trees.

Here's a blossom from a maple tree in Greg's parents' back yard in Connecticut.

Squirrels love spring, too.