Deer-proofing the cherry tree

Deer love new fruit trees... they almost destroyed our new cherry tree! So I chased them off again and put up a barrier in a couple of hours. No further visible gnawings... grow cherry, grow!

Dedicating a Cherry Tree to Grandma Lily & Summer Solstice

My grandma was an awesome lady. Among the many great things to say about her is that she developed into a keen investor. So, we thank her for investing in us so that we were able to invest in a home for our family. As such, we planted a tree for her.

When she made money in the stock market she used to giggle and say, "Well, now I don't have to wait for cherries to go on sale." Well, now neither will we. We'll just have to wait for them to be in season :) This is the least we can do to pay tribute to a wonderful woman and a positive energy in the world. And it was another way to honor and celebrate the summer solstice too!

Speaking of the solstice, the moms were here to celebrate and we made pizzas on the barbecue which was supper delicious.  And we put up our hammock!! And we had a fire and let our wishes and gratitudes rise into the air to be spread all around. Oh and we had s'mores.... but the pre-chocolate-coated kind of marshmallows are NOT the way to go... better to do it the real way and let the hot marshmallow melt the chocolate in the graham cracker.

Spring Flowers

So many flowers bloomed last week. With nearly two weeks of sunshine and glorious temperatures, the flowers took advantage of the chance to bloom and boy did they ever! The pollinators (bees, flies, slugs) got major work done and I'm sure there will be many more seeds and new growth in the next year.

Also as a result of this weather, I reminisced about my time in Japan as I rode my newly acquired bike (temporary, long-term loan) under fragrant trees and crisp sunny skies. I experienced a portion of my first real spring in the Pacific Northwest... at least in Bellingham. Allegedly this is the most beautiful it has been in years. Glad I got to be a part of it!

In the past, I have not been around for spring. Here nearly three years (wow!) but my first spring was in the mountains where I saw a different form of spring that came much later. It was brutal in Diablo, wearing multiple layers and snow boots well into spring as it was the coldest, darkest, and rainiest April Washington state had ever recorded. Last spring, I was in Mount Vernon and working in Stanwood, so I got to see the tulips and other flowers, but no real focus on sakura, 桜 or, cherry blossoms. Seeing and smelling those trees this year was incredible. No other way to put words to it. So here are pictures to help me:

Blooming Tall Oregon Grape (Mahonia aquifolium) is shinier and more leafy than its cousin, Dull O.G. (M. nervosa)

 Do you see the elephant trunk?

 Looking skyward through white flowers!

 Through pink flowers too.

 I am titling this picture, "Late Bloomer." Seems fitting.

 Can I get some help naming this flower/ tree?

 More Sakura

The Late Bloomer up close