cat slap fever...

 Hello, old friend!

With three consecutive 80 degree days, a lot is happening outside.  The lilacs are in bloom...

...nice in a bouquet with the last of the daffodils, still hanging on.

I even used them on Todd's birthday cake this year (by request, NOT another pie, but a coconut cake with layers of lemon curd).

The redbuds are blooming, too.  We have a lot on our property and I love them in bouquets, although like the lilacs, they only last a day or two.

The apple tree blossoms smell amazing right now.

Even after a mow, the yard is carpeted with violets.

They're great in tiny vases!

Claudia likes to come with me as I check for new growth.

I've found some great things on hikes, like Jack-in-the-Pulpit...

...and wood poppies.

Before the leaves started really filling in, I found a cercropia moth cocoon!  

Cercropia moths are the largest in North America.  Check out this beauty!

photo courtesy of Detective Gluck

Now there's so much green in the woods...

...I never would've noticed it!

We're making stabs at yard work...

...but it's slow going, as temperatures seesaw between the low 50s/rainy and 80s/hot.  Inside, we've got the usual cat drama - jockeying for the most comfortable spots...

...and the "us vs. the old lady" battles.

"Care for a chat?"

"I don't think so."

Calliope may inhabit "their" spaces quite a bit...

...but no one is happy about it and they fight all the time.  Oh well...maybe year #2 is the year they finally learn to coexist?  We'll see!

Have a great week!