bzzzzz...

on a spring day...

bees are buzzing!

happy day.....

peach fuzz...

sometimes we get peaches... sometimes not...

this year the tree produced flowers -

which the bees frequented on a very regular basis...  in the past, though, that never really mattered.  the old tree would appear to do all the right things - yet not produce any fruit at all...leaving us to ponder what had happened.  did it get lazy... decide that was a year it didn't feel like putting forth the effort - boy can i relate to that one - or the weather conditions weren't exactly right?  whatever the case, nature always rules when it comes to fruit trees - there is no second guessing.  either there's either, or not.

well... lo and behold - all systems are a go for this year.  the weather did what it needed to do... the bees were busy for a good cause - the flower petals dropped - and soon thereafter...

little peach pits appeared on the tree - in the leaves - on the branches... and i thought... "whoo-hoo... we're having a peach crop this year!"  then the other day, i saw this -

will you just look at the size of those?  in a mere matter of a week - they've grown about twice their size!  holy moley people... we're going to have record sized peaches this year!  already, the tree limbs are hanging low due to the sheer weight - as the tree is simply loaded with peaches - the crop is going to be huge...

i see many a night of harvesting coming up the end of summer - possibly some canning... yup, the making of peach jams, butter, salsa, cobblers... while also having the luxury of picking a peach, biting into it - with juices dripping down my arms.  of course, there's the wonderful enjoyment of inviting friends, neighbors and others to come take delight in the harvest, too  - for there will be plenty to share - which brings the greatest joy of all...

happy day.....

sketching...

...flowers

on big pieces of parchment paper... with all different kinds of colored chalks... wouldn't that be the life? when i was younger, i often thought about sitting on a hillside - in grasses - viewing landscapes - having a sketchbook - drawing to my hearts content.  but alas - i have no skill in the arena of drawing... none, nada, nope... i wasn't even left at the end of the line to gather up a teeny-tiny bit of skill! my stick figures turn out crooked... circles are misshapen... relying on a ruler is totally useless since i can never quite get the ruler straight either! what's the point?  it's truly sad.  sigh... drawing is a gift i believe you're born with: you have it or you don't.  as much as i desire it, i don't have it - even though i'd love to just sit down and draw... yet, let's be honest here:  it's not going to happen for me...

which is why i've played with these images... some people may not agree with post processing - the idea of messing around with what comes out of the camera... at times, i will enhance my photos a bit - adding some light if necessary or cropping... i might sharpen an edge here or there, as well.  additionally, i enjoy seeing what others do with their shots.  creativity is important to me - in life - in art - in all aspects of what we're about... we're given a lot of tools in the photographic world that allow us to push the boundaries - to play outside the sandbox... i think that's okay. 
 
as i was editing my photos today, i clicked on a little box mentioning something about sketching - boo! well, how do you pass that up? after all my rambling up there - i ask you... what was i to do? i couldn't ignore it: the box, the click, the word - all beckoned to me... you know what happens when i'm beckoned... i respond - i play - this is what happened...
 
 

 
i sketched today!  okay... maybe it was fake - from a photo - post processing, mumbo jumbo... whatever!  but it felt good and... if i stretch it, i can almost say i had a piece of chalk in my hand with a sketch book in my lap...
 
happy day.....

snap shots...

...for fun

remember old polaroids?  you'd take the picture, peel off the front - then have to wait for the shot to appear?  and wait... still waiting... finally, to see whether you took a decent photo or not.  i found a cool processing feature in my editing toolbox... that makes your finished photo look like a polaroid... how cool is that?  of course, i needed to play around with it - just because...  not like i don't have better things to do with my time... but you all know how that goes!  the to-do list grows longer while i play. sigh... and so it goes...

go have some fun... play... harken back to the old days - like mama said "it'll come back around again..."  seems like mama is usually more right - than she is wrong...

happy day.....

springy flowers...

nothin' like some spring flowers to brighten the day.  i was a bit worried that snow combined with freezing cold temps earlier in the week - might have ruined the blossoms... but it doesn't appear to have done damage... yay!  stems are standing upright - bees are continuing to buzz about - if anything, the cold may have enhanced the colors...

can you smell the fragrance?

happy day.....

buzzzzing along...

bees are fascinating little critters... put freshly blooming flowers out - and it becomes a bee-fest for them... suddenly swarming about - collecting all the pollen possible.  there is a peach tree in the backyard - just nearing full bloom... the bees are having a literal hey-day and now they've thrown down the gauntlet - to see if i can catch them in mid-flight...

i'd say - success!

happy day.....

blue and yellow...

flowers brighten a day... when they come in shades of yellow and blue - the combination is especially lovely... i stumbled upon these early bloomers on a recent walk through a local park - they brought an immediate smile to my face...

happy day.....