Springtime in the desert

Today is one of those perfect days which reminds me of why I love the desert so.  Mornings are cool - a good time to water plants and do the yard work that needs attention.  Palo verde trees are all in bloom this week.  Beautiful bright yellow blossoms against the green of the tree.  The city is blanketed with fallen yellow blossoms which swirl in the breezes.  My gardenia plant is in bloom - scenting the day with its beautiful smell.  Every once in a while as I work on the computer I get a waft of the gardenia. Lovely.  Birds are all singing - particularly the mockingbirds.  My yard is the corner of 2-3 males' territories.  So I benefit from a lot of singing.  White-winged Doves were out this morning, eating seeds from the acacia and cooing.  Finches are working over the hummingbird feeders.  Afternoon is warm.  We're in the mid-nineties which is perfect to me.  But soon it will be hot.  That's when I pull out photos like this one and remind myself that cooler times will return.

Snow in the Grand Canyon is always a beautiful thing.  It was chilly this day - with snow showers blowing through the canyon.  Wind was icy to our faces and we didn't linger anywhere for too long.

But now back to my beautiful day.  Split pea soup in the crockpot - thanks to the Easter ham bone that my brother saved for me.  2 salads as I couldn't choose between them.  Dinner and swimming at my brother's house - it's a wonderful day.