Spring Break
In April, I thought that our Spring would be cut brutally short. April temperatures this year were higher than usual - in the high 90's, and even 100 degrees Fahrenheit one day! April is much too early for such hot weather, even in our desert climate. I thought, "I've missed Spring this year! If it's this hot in April, May will bring even hotter weather." In all truthfulness, I felt cheated.
Now May has gently arrived. Yes, gently, for the temperatures have backed down a little. Here at home, sweet acacia and yellow oleander blossoms continue to sweeten the air, and the jacaranda trees are just beginning to show off their lavender blossoms. On the desert, the saguaro cacti wear white blossom-crowns and lift armsful of blooms to the sun.
Back at home,I have taken to sitting out on the back patio in the morning, and the front patio in the evening. Beau, the kitty, accompanies me for a bit of quiet time.
Beau had been raised in an apartment by four college students whose landlord did not allow tenants to have animals. Until Beau came to live with us in February, he had spent very little time outside. He was fascinated by the outdoors, but a little unsure of it. He has learned, over time,the boundaries of his territory (our patios), and he enjoys sitting outside with me to contemplate the fish and birds and trees.
Two of his first encounters with nature occurred while we sat on the back patio under a young eucalyptus tree.A female hummingbird (probably a black chinned hummer)whirred right over his head and scolded him with vigorous chipping noises. When he moved, she followed him and continued her chipping and whirring for a short while. She probably has a nest somewhere in the eucalyptus, for I see her on or near its branches every morning.
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