SPRING!

Yep, that's how far behind I am...but it isn't as bad as you think. Spring didn't come (for real) until May this year...at least not in my yard. I feel like I share my beautiful (and frightening) snow pictures a lot, but you need to see that it isn't always cold and dreary at my house. Here are some pictures of our home when Spring finally decided to show itself. And since it was our first Spring in this house, it was fun to see the bulbs come up in unexpected places and watch the trees bloom for the first time.

Renae decided to become a flower photographer...she grabbed the camera, put it on the macro setting and took dozens and dozens of up close photos. I will share a few of them...she is pretty darn good (in my humble and inexperienced opinion).

 I don't know what this tree is called, 

but I love the pink blossoms and red leaves on it in the Spring.

 My apple trees in full bloom. Oh....if you could have smelled them. 

It was heavenly!!!

My lilac bushes were a lovely shade of purple

The flower bed that we cleared out to plant our garden...but something went wrong

I planted. I watered. I weeded. But nothing but the onions are growing well. 

Most of my plants never came up. Sad. 

I still have a lot to learn in the gardening arena.

But on a happy note...my raspberry bushes are alive and well

...and who needs vegetables when you have raspberries...right??? 

This was them in May. They are now huge and full of little berries!

Now onto the flowers...

 The front flower bed after a long day of weeding

 Daffodils are my favorite. Maybe because we had them in my yard growing up
and not many people had bulbs in Arizona yards.

Tulips before opening -- this is what I think of when I think tulips

Tulips after opening -- I had no idea they looked like this or were black inside

 Renae getting all artsy on me...she has a lot of fun doing this

And this is thrown in here to symbolize the flower that we all LOATHE!

The dandelion. 

We fought a hard battle this year and we won the war against these little pests.