It was such a gorgeous day yesterday, it's too bad today is rainy, especially because I'm sure the rain ruined a bunch of Easter plans. I took Friday off, partly because I had to go renew my driver's license in person this year. You never know how long the line will be at the driver's license office near me. So I just took the day off, which also let me get a bunch of other errands run, besides getting my license renewed. I got all my running around and puttering outside done Friday and yesterday. It was fairly cool out, but brightly sunny and pretty once the clouds moved pout about midday Friday. 
My little azalea is blooming as you can see. All the hawthorn are loaded down with buds on the verge of blooming so they're about to become gorgeous. The weather is still flirting with cooler temps (50's on Saturday morning and this morning), but Spring is definitely here.
My hummers are back! They showed up last Sunday afternoon. The little male has taken to perching on the tip of one of my aloe early in the morning. Yesterday he was all puffed out from the cold, and this morning he was all puffed out from the rain and cold, but he just perches there. These pictures of him are far from ideal since he won't sit there if I open the door. So these are taken through the window.
On Friday I bought some more african violets to take to work and another venus flytrap. I think I'll take a flytrap to work also and see if it will survive and eat the gnats and small flies that occasionally somehow manage to get into my office. So I spent part of Friday afternoon re-potting plants from the plastic things they come in, and getting them ready to take to work. 
I've decided to keep the magenta african violet here at the house. It's so pretty, and Addy's too old and not agile enough to get up on the counter, so both she and it should be safe. I just like growing things. I guess that green thumb that my sisters have always had didn't skip me after all. Well, maybe not a green thumb in that I still manage to kill things I'm trying to grow. But a green thumb in that I like to grow things.
The peach actually looks like a tree this year. The other two aren't doing as well, but are also leafing out nicely. This one is in the prime spot for a peach tree - lots of sun. The other two are in shadier places and obviously don't like that as well. My mint is coming back in with a vengeance. I'll have to watch it so that it doesn't take over the garden around the patio. The little pine is putting on lots of new new pine needles too, as you can see. I'm continually amazed that that little tree keeps coming back.
I saw the coopers' hawk go after one of the doves in my yard today. He always seems to hunt here on cloudy cool days - or anyway those are the days I've seen him hunting here.
I'm glad for this puttering around the house time because I have some busy times coming up. Next weekend I'm off for Chicago for business. Then home the next weekend, then I have back to back trips to Washington DC and Philadelphia. Then the first week in May I'm back to Washington DC and the second week in May I'm off to Seattle. Then I'm home for a month before I'm off again. Oh! And that month I'm home I'll be having gum surgery with some bone grafting. How fun is that? Just got bad genes when it comes to gums, I guess. Considering how good my health is overall though I really can't complain about my genes. This will only be my second gum surgery in the last 20+ years. And I guess I'll quit there for today. Leaving with an Addy picture of course. She has to help me when I'm outside - or at least be out there with me, checking out stuff.
