Sunny Day

It's the second sunny day in a row!

It was breezy and about 48° as we set out for our neighborhood walk late this morning.  

Yesterday I had Tom drive me over to the neighborhood park for a couple of loops on the trails there.  I felt good to be back there after several weeks.  It's a bit too far for me to go walking in the park from the house yet.  

Today we walked up around the school, a usual destination.  

This is McMicken Heights Elementary, our neighborhood school, where our kids attended and where I worked for about 25 years.  This is a replacement building however, about five years old now.  The demolition/construction was a big deal in our neighborhood as the old building full of memories gave way to this very modern structure.  It is painted on Sounders colors - sky blue and Rave green!

We enjoyed the warmth of the sun on our stroll.  Upon returning home I wanted to visit the garden.  After the freezing cold and then the snow, things are coming to life out there and I don't want to miss anything.

In the winter garden by the front porch the snowdrops have sprung back up after bowing to frost and snow.

 Hardy cyclamen are blooming

 The witch hazel overcame its snowy blanket.

 The poor pathetic porch pansies are doing their best.

Here also are a clump of Hellebore Ivory Prince.

Then we walked around the rest of the yard, finding other scattered hellebores in various stages of blooming. Unlike Ivory Prince, these don't hold their heads up so Tom helped then show their pretty faces as he photographed them using my iPhone.  I can't get down that close to the ground yet.

 We found the first marsh marigold blooming in the full sun in the rose bed.

Soon there will be mats of bright shiny faces basking in the sun whenever the sun decides to shine.  

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day already!  We'll have our grandchildren in the afternoon, over night and well into Saturday as Jill goes to  Mountaineering class.  She'll join us for dinner tomorrow.  I'll muster to bake brownies in a heart shaped pan. There will be love and sharing and caring and playing and comfort and chocolate.

Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!