Thursday, 5/24

They're so close you can almost smell them.

The past few days of really warm weather here in Marquette has caused an explosion in the amount of tree & plant sprouting throughout the area. What a few days ago looked like this--

Now looks like this--

That includes the buds on my favorite lilac tree. Over the past few days their growth seems to have accelerated, to the point that they now look like this--

While I know next to nothing about any facts pertaining to any other branch (no pun intended, at least not much) of horticulture I DO a little about lilacs, thanks to my life-long obsession with them. And if I had to proffer my best guess, based on years of watching and waiting, I'd guess that they'll be blooming and sniffable by the end of the holiday weekend.

So if I'm not at work Tuesday you now know why.

It's just nice to see color around Marquette for the first time in months. Not only are all the trees rapidly turning green, but everywhere you look there's an explosion of color--

It's quite the marked difference from the browns, grays, & blacks we've had since the snow melted. I've always maintained that the one time of the year that Marquette's really not attractive is the time between the melting of the snow and the explosion of summer colors. It's nice to know we've moved out of it quickly this year.

Now, for the next three or four months, we can be among the most beautiful places on the planet!

(jim@wmqt.com), anxiously awaiting the blooming of the lilacs.