It Has Sprung!

Spring that is. Despite our wintery weather today, rainy and 50, spring has arrived. It is the most beautiful time of year around here. I love seeing all the trees and flowers come to life. I never really experienced spring until we moved here. Spring here is equivalent to Summer in Maine. Everything is green and growing and happy. The days are warm and the nights cool. Here summer is our harshest season. The heat and humidity keep all living things, people included, in a constant state of dehydration and stunted growth. It's spring when things are truly alive here in Charlotte.

 Above is a Bradford Pear tree. This one happens to be at the entrance to our cul-de-sac. Isn't it gorgeous? As the green leaves start to push the white blossoms off, the tree will snow down pedals. I could watch the Bradfords snow for hours. These trees are everywhere in Charlotte ~ even along the highway. They are one of our first spring blossoms and always a welcome sight towards the end of winter. Their shape is a very uniform 'pear' shape that they maintain without any pruning, and once the white blossoms have passed the leaves are such a bright and happy green they maintain their visual beauty. They are *almost* the perfect landscaping tree to have in your yard. The only problem? They stink. I mean really, really stink. Like gross bodily fluid stink. And I'm not exaggerating. It's grosser than gross. And the reason I will never plant one in my yard.  Smell vetoes looks in my book. But I guess it balances out it's extreme beauty, otherwise it would rule the ornamental tree world. And, well, that just wouldn't be fair to other trees.

 Now this? This is a cherry tree. We have lots of these around here too, not rivaling DC by any means, but there are still quite a few. They line the streets here in Ballantyne, making my numerous trips to and from home everyday a little less drab. These are probably my favorite. The pinkish purple blossoms are the perfect spring color and coordinate nicely with their dark brown woody trunks.  Pink and brown is one of my favorite color combinations. So I am a little partial to these trees.

 I love that we live in such a pretty city. These trees may not serve any other purpose than making things look good, but that's just fine with me. Pretty things make me smile.  And smiling is good.

And of course along with the budding trees and  blooming flowers come the mud covered tee-shirts and shorts. The mud around here is NOTHING like the mud in Maine in the spring. But we do our best to get our share of mud covered clothes, because as happy as the pretty trees make me, my kids are always happiest when covered in mud or dirt or paint or flour. Dirty kids equals happy kids. And happy kids make me smile. Even more than cherry blossoms.