My goodness, it's been a very soggy May so far! All of the pink and white blossoms on the trees are raining down along with the actual rain. Pardon me while I wring myself out...
In between dodging the raindrops, I've been listening nearly every day to Ludovico Einaudi (modern-day classical piano music, perfect for springtime and studying; it's somehow soothing and dramatic all at once). I've also been clicking away with my camera at all of the pretty things popping up lately. Let me show you what's sprouting in my neck of the woods, yes? None of these pictures are doctored, by the way. It really is that green around here, thanks to the buckets upon buckets of rain.
The peonies are puckering up, ready to burst. I can't wait! What funny flowers they are, though. As soon as they reach their fullest and puffiest, they topple over with the sheer weight of themselves. The stems can't support the hefty blossoms. That's why I don't feel at all bad snipping them for indoor bouquets. At least then, they're showcased in all of their glory instead of slumped over in a sad heap. I've been told I should put stakes in the soil around them for support, so perhaps I'll look into that...if I can give up the indoor bouquets, which--let's be honest--is doubtful. (Photographer speaking here: Peonies = lots and lots of pretty pictures!) By the way, just as I was pasting the shot above into place, I noticed the tiny ants crawling around on the peony bud. Ants love peonies even more than I do!
Look what else I saw today for the first time this spring: Bleeding Hearts. Such a gruesome name for such a charming little plant! Sounds like an episode of "Game of Thrones", doesn't it? (On that note: Hip-hip-hooray for Jon Snow coming back to life! Now if only they could bring back Ygritte for him. I cried like a collicky baby when she died in his arms.)
I really don't care how much it rains as long as the LILACS are here! My favorite flower, heaven in a blossom. I took the shot below with a great mobile editing app I just discovered called TinType, which gives any image an old, weathered look.
I'll close with the oddest thing that sprouted up in my neighborhood this week. I call it "The Door to Nowhere." It's bulk trash collection week in our town and one resident dragged an old bookcase and a door to his curb. As I was approaching, all I could see was the door. (The bookcase was behind it, propping it up.) It was a surreal moment for sure. I felt like I'd walked right into a Rene Magritte painting! It seemed like some sort of weird sign from the universe, letting me know that an opportunity would be knocking. I'm ready for it!
I hope your month of May is blooming beautifully so far!
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P.S. I'm finishing up a brand-new photography e-course for early summer called "Manual Mode Bootcamp", designed to help you figure out all of the little dials and details on your DSLR camera, so you're not just pointing and shooting randomly. If you're interested, make sure you're on the mailing list for "Writing with Light", my monthly e-newsletter all about my photography and visual inspirations. That's the only place where I offer course discounts, so do join up soon--see below for details.
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