Swallows and sunshine

Home for the Summer

We have a gorgeous stretch of dry sunny weather to look forward to. This morning the weatherman declared Mother's Day might be the "nicest you have ever seen." Close to 80 degrees.  For those of us who crave warm weather that sounds like heaven.  John and I sometimes take a walk at the Weyerhauser Company Botanical Garden on Mother's Day. A patch of Himalayan blue poppies blooms there in May, and they're worth the drive down to Federal Way.  Plus the hot dogs and potato chips they sell in the parking lot.

I went out to Snoqualmie yesterday to see a friend's new horse and the swallows had already made nests in the barn rafters.  Forget the calendar, spring isn't really here until the swallows come back.  At most places they're either taken for granted or considered a dirty nuisance, but it's a miracle how these creatures migrate all the way from South America and find the same barns again. I love seeing them diving and swooping and gorging on insects.

"Arty" and "Hollywood"

The new horse "Arty" is a Tennessee Walker, and he just arrived from (of course) Tennessee. The trailer trip took almost a week and he was sore and tired, but it was love at first sight with "Hollywood," his new next door neighbor.