Sunset and pink clouds

Sun sets real early now. I was out with the dogs right when the sun dipped below the horizon, making the clouds and horizon pink and gold.

Hailstorms belong to spring

Yesterday we had a a couple hailstorms that left the ground all covered with ice balls.

Today the weather has been a bit nicer. Some rain just a while ago, and windy, but I had a nice enough (and dry too) walk with the dog right before the rain, as the dark clouds were gathering up. I noticed the first dandelions of this spring as we walked, and that the weather is cool enough for the ant colonies to mostly stay underground today; only some special forces unit seemed to be out and about, guarding the nests. A lone bumblebee was buzzing in the grass, working on fallen pussy willows.

 

 

 

May Day

May Day dawned cold and cloudy this year. After all those warm sunny days this seems like a slap on the face, May Day or other day. So cold that the wood anemonies in more exposed areas have decided to stay closed and not open their flowers for the day at all. But birches have leaves, which is kinda rare on May Day.

 

 

 

Pollen and pretty skies

Yesterday I was sitting on our deck in the sun with my laptop, and noticed something green falling down like light rain. Birch pollen! I believe this to be a pretty bad birch pollen year... But birches are not the only trees blooming. This big maple in the neighbor's yard, right next to our driveway turned green overnight and is full of green flowers now!

 

It is almost May and the days here are long. The sun rose today at 5:23 and has been below the horizon only for about twenty minutes now, as it set at 21:16. It is still light outside. We were coming home from grocery stores at approximately eight pm and the sun was low but above the tree line, shining through some cool clouds.

 

Catkins and pussy willows

April brought on another cold spell. No snow, at least nothing that would have stayed on the ground, but freezing winds and general coolness, especially today, when the sun mostly stayed behind a layer of thick clouds. It feels psychologically damaging, to get cold weather again, after already getting a taste of the spring warm!

Despite the cold, birds are still chirping, we are in summer time and evenings are long, catkins and pussy willows are spreading pollen into the air - and we who have pollen allergies are having a hard time.