First blossom

The first blossom on the plum tree... every year I anticipate it. This year, I was able to witness with my eyes and my camera the first blossom. I checked all over the tree to see if there were any others and there weren't. Just this first one.

Encapsulated in that first blossom are meanings for me... courage, bravery, hope, belief, and faith.

Someone always has to be first, even if it's hard to be the first.

Keeping up with the neighbor

From the first year it was planted along the fence, the peach tree stood watching the plum tree on the other side of the fence. Every year, the plum tree would show off her porcelain white petal-skirts long before the peach tree could open her own pink petticoats. Every year, the plum tree would make the gardener on the other side of the fence smile and say, "It's spring!"

Finally, after a wet winter and with much determination, the peach tree decided this was her year to be first.

As soon as the sun peeked its warm face out from the grey storm clouds of January, the peach tree rushed as quickly as she could to dress for spring.

Periodically, she peered over the fence to see if the plum tree was winning. But the plum tree was still sleeping, in no hurry to get dressed.

With all her springtime frills on, the peach tree had done it!

She then bent her limbs over the fence hoping she could be the first to make the gardener on the other side of the fence smile and say, "It's spring!"

And she was.

Building a nest out of rose leaves and twigs

As the sun has won the battle with the clouds the past few days, our world has turned from dreary winter into gorgeous spring.

The sparrow couples have begun their nest building activities under the eaves outside my studio window. Chirping and warbling, the sparrows have obviously taken Snow White's advice to "whistle while they work". Some gathered materials fall to the deck below. Amongst the dried twisted twigs are sprigs of freshly picked green sprigs of rose leaves... and one fallen feather.

I feel a kinship with the sparrows. We, too, have built our home of "rose leaves" and "twigs"--"twigs" of foundational structure and "rose leaves" of inexpensive adornments and "pretties" just because.

And, like the sparrows, we've done it as a couple--partners in building the nest we call home.

He knows me so well...

He knows I love pink.
He knows I love pretty boxes wrapped up with ribbons.
He knows I don't care what's inside.
He knows me so well.

Too beautiful to post-process

The sun is shining today with white puffy clouds against a blue sky. It's like nature is wishing us a Happy Valentine's Day a day early.

I found the "My Fifi" rose bush trying to send out very early blossoms on some long canes that I've been meaning to cut back. I'm glad I didn't cut them back though, because it meant that I could photograph these precious little blossoms against the white clouds in the blue sky--the perfect backdrop.

I got back inside to post-process the photos and I just couldn't make myself do anything to this shot except a crop. To me, it's just too beautiful to post-process anymore. Sometimes it's just that way. It's "photographic serendipity".

To my Valentine

Twelve years ago Hubby and I celebrated the first time we were each other's Valentine. It was only a month and half before we were to be married. It was a stormy and wet El Nino year (this year's mini El Nino season reminds me a lot of that first Valentine's Day together). A dear friend suggested that we keep a Valentine's journal and only fill it with tidbits of each year's Valentine's Day. That first February 14th, I started the journal and pasted the weather clippings in it from the newspaper. That's how I remember that it was an El Nino year.

A month and half later were married on a wet and stormy day in March at the Oakland Temple in Oakland, California. I carried a silk bouquet (hard to believe now that I'm into fresh flower arranging). I wanted my compact bouquet of cream colored roses and purple-blue hydrangeas to last after our wedding day because our reception was planned for two weeks later (after a romantic honeymoon in Victoria, British Columbia).

Since then, I haven't photographed my wedding bouquet... until today. I have some beautiful cut-out heart ribbon I really wanted to photograph while the sun was shining briefly this afternoon. And my bouquet was sitting out after I'd rearranged my studio. It seemed to be the perfect backdrop for showcasing the ribbon.

And now it is a photographic valentine to My Valentine. I love you, Sweetheart!