Spring with a little interruption

April has been sometimes cold and windy, sometimes warm. That's normal! It just seems a letdown after such a warm March. My blog postings have been interrupted by an intestinal bug - who knows what - that more or less flattened me for 4 days. I won't go into details, other than to say bulimia will never be an issue for me. On a happier note, I've included pictures of a walk around Hobart Urban Nature Preserve and a trip to Urbana to see the fly-in of the B-25 bombers on the 70th anniversary of the Doolittle Raid on Tokyo and other Japanese cities.

Up close and personal with a B-25.

Check out the nose art. We saw lots of ladies in enticing poses.

A male American goldfinch at Hobart Urban Nature Preserve.

Make way for ducklings! Aren't they too cute for words?

A male red-winged blackbird stakes out his territory.

Irises in a garden in Troy.

Busy week

We had a houseful of company over Easter. My brother and his daughter flew from Calif. to Pittsburgh, where they rented a car to drive to see his son and daughter-in-law, who live in Altoona.On Saturday, the four of them drove from Altoona to Troy. That evening, we went to dinner at The Pub in Beavercreek. On Easter, we took a family photo at the Eldean covered bridge. It was sunny, but a cold wind was blowing. You'll see us huddled together trying to keep warm. Everyone left on Monday. On Tuesday, Mom had arthroscopic knee surgery to repair a torn meniscus in her left knee. That went well and she's getting around better than we thought she would. Sutures come out next Friday. Then, on Wednesday, we picked up our new car at Wagner Subaru in Fairborn. If anyone needs a new Subaru, we heartily recommend speaking to Mike Reed at Wagner Subaru. There was nothing wrong with our Honda - it's a good car - but with Mom, it's SO much better to have 4 doors and more room in the back for her cane, walker, or wheelchair.

Here we are at The Pub. Penny and Jack came, of course.

Ryan is enjoying himself.

Don't worry: Karlee's is Sprite!

Fred, Karlee, and Tanja.

Gotta have a Union Jack.

Tanja and Penny share a moment.

Freezing at the covered bridge.

Our new car. Notice the dandelions in our neighbor's lawn. :(

Bob threw warm towels just from the dryer all over me. Ed thinks that's pretty weird.

Blooms everywhere

The background flowers are phlox.

Aren't these amazing?

Our crabapple tree is the best tree on the block ... and I say that with complete modesty. I've included a photo. Also tulips are in full force right now. I didn't plant any last fall (my bad), but I'll remedy that this autumn. The tulip photos you'll see are from the plantings at the Upper Valley Medical Center. Mom had to go there for an electrocardiogram (she's having arthroscopic knee surgery next Tuesday, and the EKG was part of the pre-op stuff).

Our tree wins, even with us standing in front of it.

Dylan and the Northwest Crushers

We all (Penny, Jack, Bob, and I) went to Hamersville, Ohio, to see our grandnephew, Dylan, play in a baseball tournament. We met Bob and Penny's brother, Paul, and his wife, Jan, at the game. Of course, Dylan's parents, Brad and Dana, were there - and his younger brother, Blake, too. If you read the blog last year, you know we went to Indianapolis in June to see Dylan play. Yesterday in Hamersville was not Indianapolis in June - the temperature was in the high 40s and a chilly breeze was blowing. We were all bundled up and still cold. But, we hung in there to cheer for Dylan. Alas, his Northwest Crushers (as in northwest Chicago, not the Pacific Northwest) lost two games. But the Crushers played well and should not feel bad about the turn of events.

Dylan rounds the base.

And he throws a heater across the plate.

Dylan and his dad, our nephew Brad, after the first game.

Spring, snakes, and 1st Troy anniversary

We've been here a year! March 29th is our Troy anniversary. Last year, we arrived bedraggled and tired, and this year, we're recovered and rarin' to go. I've enclosed a photo of Bob, Penny, Jack, Mom, and me at El Sombrero restaurant, our favorite anniversary spot. The owner, Reuben, graciously took our picture for us. Such a nice man. I've also included photos of flowering trees, because they're so beautiful. And, for those of you who love all of nature's creatures, there's a picture of a black rat snake we saw at Charleston Falls County Park. No grimacing! It's a cute snake. :)

At El Sombrero. 1st anniversary of Troyness.

Our crabapple tree. See how much progress it has made?

Redbuds are everywhere.

Bradford pears are now past peak bloom, but I wanted to include this one.

Isn't she (he?) a beauty? A black rat snake at Charleston Falls.

Mowed the lawn

Now I remember what I like about winter: the lawn does not grow. It's been much warmer than normal (according to the Dayton newspaper, it's the warmest March in 100 years) and the grass decided to grow. Never did I think I'd be mowing (and sweating) in March. Poor Bob was also sweating with the new rototiller in our stair-step garden area. We're getting ready for our vegetable garden. We also have to plant a new grape vine there and find places for a lilac and a burning bush (spring color and autumn color). When we're harvesting grapes, we'll feel a lot better about this, I'm sure. :)

It's official: spring is here!

It's been so warm here - we are debating whether to turn on the AC, because our upstairs has been over 80 degrees in the evening. Gasp. Bob has slept in the basement, where it may not be Novosibirsk any longer, but it's still a lot cooler than upstairs. It's March! It's Ohio! We're waiting for the sneaky snowstorm of early spring. :)

Forsythia is a riot of yellow.

One of the many trillium species in Ohio.

Magnolias in bloom in a front yard.

Mr. and Mrs. Cardinal at our seed feeder.

Hepatica is an early spring wildflower. So dainty.