Spring at Both Doors

Spring has come with boldness, finally, and the world is lush and green. Liz and I are excited by the yellow roses just outside our front door. They never came out last year, due to some overzealous cutting back, but they are in full bloom right now. Jean Belz, campus matriarch, has informed us that the man at the nursery has said to "hold onto them," because they are rare. I am certainly impressed by the profusion and variety in length of the thorns.


These scrawny grey puffs are nesting out our back door. They are both fascinating and, in a way, repulsive- thin, red skin stretched over skinny, reaching necks surrounded by flimsy wings and grey down. Click on the bottom picture for a closer view.