Arbor Day

This Arbor Day I am really focused on the black locust trees. I have never seen them bloom so profusely. This a volunteer that came up in the yard several years ago and it has never bloomed liked this. As you drive around, you see some locust groves that are snow white. You also see just how many locust trees there are about because they are about the only thing with white blooms right now except the snowball bushes.

Full Egg Moon

The full egg moon denotes fertility. Things are really starting to grow from the fertile earth. It is such a great time of the year.

Kentucky Derby 136

This is Derby Week which leads up to the 136th running of the Kentucky Derby on the first Saturday in May. The Derby is locally billed as "the greatest two minutes in sports". However the actual two minutes are preceded by two weeks of Derby Festival events that includes all types of activities from the largest fireworks display in the U.S. to the great Steamboat race. In celebration I made a Derby flag. The horse image is Secretariat, probably the greatest thoroughbred ever. I drew the horseshoe and it was colored a pretty golden color until the drenching rain proved one of my magic markers not to be a permanent marker. Anyhow, we will leave the flag up until after the Derby.

Double Rainbow

I was able to capture this double rainbow after lasty night's storm. From Wikipedia . "Secondary rainbows are caused by a double reflection of sunlight inside the raindrops, and appear at an angle of 50°–53°. As a result of the second reflection, the colours of a secondary rainbow are inverted compared to the primary bow, with blue on the outside and red on the inside. The secondary rainbow is fainter than the primary because more light escapes from two reflections compared to one and because the rainbow itself is spread over a greater area of the sky. The dark area of unlit sky lying between the primary and secondary bows is called Alexander's band, after Alexander of Aphrodisias who first described it."

Earth

Since Joni Mitchell performed "Big Yellow Taxi" live, we have nearly doubled the people on the planet and continue to pave paradise and put up parking lots. It reminds me of the lyrics of another folk song ... "when will they ever learn .... when will they ever learn". "They" are "us" and we need to pay more attention to what we are doing to our nest. The message has been there but not heeded. At least I made the border green.

World Population Growth

Year	Population

1965	3.3 billion
1970	3.7 billion
1975	4 billion
1980	4.5 billion
1985	4.85 billion
1990	5.3 billion
1995	5.7 billion
1999	6 billion
2006	6.5 billion
2009	6.8 billion

Ohio River Overlook

Twice a year, in the spring and fall, we like to go for lunch at the Overlook Restaurant in Leavenworth, Indiana. It is on the northern bank of Big Bend in Meade County Kentucky where the land only separated the river by about a half a mile. as shown below. The drive always very scenic as is the view of the river at the restaurant. We also like to drive the Kentucky side for it's scenic view.

Earth Day

Earth Day is celebrated at different times in various ways at various places. This is good, but the earth should be celebrated everyday in some way even if its the quickest glance at the horizon. I'll have my earth flag flying for the next few weeks while we celebrate the blooming of spring and try to do a my part to help take care of the earth.

More Lilacs

You can take photos or videos and you can record sounds; you can even make perfumes and odors that mimic nature; but, not even your memory can give full justice to the fragrance of a lilac bush in full bloom. You can only enjoy in the moment. Wow!

Lilacs

I love the smell of lilacs. The fragrance is so pronounced. In fact, I can only put cut lilacs in the basement because they irritate my wife's allergies. As you can see, I still have the Easter tablecloth on the old dining table in the basement. Well there is too much to do and see this time of the year to change tablecloths in the basement. We'll get around to it when I throw the lilacs out.

More Daffodils

Each new batch of daffodils is prettier than the last. I cut a couple of red tulips to bring out the color of this bouquet.

Easter

Even though Easter is a religious holiday, it is celebrated in a more secular fashion as part of the beginning of Spring. In fact Easter is the first Sunday after the first full moon after the Vernal Equinox, so it's fairly tied to Spring. Our Easter table looks as much like an Ostara altar as anything else. Anyhow, you can't get too religious with all the egg and rabbit fertility symbols. It is a great time of the year.