Two days before I left Ann Arbor we had the biggest snowfall of the winter. The weekend before, after the previous snowfall came and went, I could see that the snowdrops were already well advanced. Arriving in Palo Alto last Friday, the magnolia in the backyard is already losing the last of its blossoms. I don’t think we’ll see that in Ann Arbor for maybe another six weeks?

The neighbor here has a riot of color going on in their front yard with all these tulips and daffodils, which makes up for missing our own display develop. I’ve stepped outside a few times to photograph them. Another day Jill and I took a walk around the block, and there is this interesting effort at espalier with apple trees (I think).

Spring is such a great time, the colors such a tonic for when winter, in Michigan at least, goes on too long. Even in Palo Alto, we still have the best of both worlds, with most trees only just beginning to bud, so you can still see their limbs and structure. And it’s rained most of the time! so the hills are nice and green.