Another beautiful bizarre mid-March day

tree branch with buds
tree branch with buds, March 21, 2012

Avoided yesterday's restlessness and instead started the morning with a trek to the back yard. Camera in hand, of course.

Good heavens, what is happening? Buds on the trees? Red lettuce and chives sprung forth in a raised bed? The wading pool full of water? A smog alert in Toronto this morning?

haze
haze

If it were just one day of unseasonal warmth, the buds wouldn't think it safe to come out; but it's been enough consecutive days to heat the second floor of our house to mildly intolerable -- we ran fans last night. (And really, the flannel sheets seem ridiculous).

It can't last; can it? We'll need those flannel sheets again. The windows won't stay open. It seems impossible.

lettuce
fresh salad for supper tonight?

porch1
neighbour-watching

Given all this warmth, we've discovered a new favourite retreat -- the upper level of our porch, which we didn't get a chance to use last fall when it was first built. Already, AppleApple has tucked away there to read in late-afternoon sunshine. And Kevin and I took tea and snacks and a candle out after dark the other night. It was that warm. Venus and Jupiter shone overhead, and the Big Dipper appeared to be upside-down.

It's not a quiet retreat, let me add. Our street is much too well-travelled for that. Cars are noisy machines. But it's lively viewing, and the porch feels private. Reminds me of when I was four years old, and would climb a small tree in the backyard, high enough to see over the fence. Behind that house was an apartment building, and I would watch the happenings. Even at that age, interested in observing the lives of others. You have been warned.

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