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A big yellow school bus – you can’t miss it if you’re driving in traffic and there’s one on the road with you, or if it’s coming down a residential street making stops along the way.  The school I attended did not have school buses but I’ve always enjoyed seeing their beautiful yellow color and hearing the sounds of its motor in a neighborhood.

It won’t be long before many schools will be closing for the summer.  Thank you to the school bus drivers who, in all kinds of weather, have transported children from home to school, and back home again…

It’s early May, and trees in Michigan are in all different stages of leafing out.  You can stand in one place and see some trees whose leaves are that new green chartreuse color, others whose leaves are barely open, and still others that don’t show a sign of a leaf yet.

This time is precious, it happens quickly and changes daily – enjoy it now…

Seeing this collection of beautifully used, galvanized metal watering cans gets me thinking — whose hands held the handle and filled it with water to give to a living plant?  Was it used by one person or shared by many – outdoors, indoors, or maybe in a greenhouse?

One can use most any container for watering plants, but there’s something to be said for using a tool that someone else used before you – passing it on – from one hand to another…

Watering cans available at Goldner Walsh Garden & Home

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Goldner-Walsh-Garden-Home/98779395970

When asked, plant lovers everywhere are usually happy to share a cutting from one of their mature plants.  The first thing I do when I receive one of these gifts is place it in a glass jar filled with water.  I put the jar on a windowsill where I know I will keep an eye on it, making sure to check the water level, and adding more when it gets low.  You may need to be patient, but in time, roots will emerge.  Note the gracefulness of these roots and their color.  I never knew roots could have color, too.  Once the roots have grown, you can plant the cutting in soil or just enjoy it in the water.  Whichever you choose, it’s the beginning of a new life…

On this brisk April day in Michigan, I was walking near the water’s edge, when along came these two ducks traveling freely next to me in the lake – no ice, no snow – nothing in the way of any of us moving with ease.  For this, we can be grateful…

Spotting a blooming Witch Hazel in early Spring is worthy of celebration.  When you come upon one, be sure to smell the blossoms – their fragrance is exceptional…

The snow has melted (for today) and the sun is shining.  The icing on the cake is the sight of a robin — welcome back!

Every day I’m outdoors looking and looking for shoots of new green growth coming up out of the ground.  This past week, I was standing in my kitchen and out of the corner of my eye I saw it – that new green color I’ve been on the lookout for.  And where was it? – springing forth from a clove of garlic.  I’m not choosy at this time of year – indoors or out – the color green is way up there on my list of favorite things…

A container hanging from a sugar maple tree – night temps in the 20′s, day temps in the 40′s – tells me the conditions are right to begin the tapping process to collect the running sap.  After it’s collected, the water is boiled off, and viola! – it’s maple syrup -  bring on the pancakes – yum!

We all recognize the familiar roll of toilet paper.  Invented around 1880 (when you think of it, not really that long ago), it’s another everyday item in our lives that we can sometimes take for granted – until we reach for it and the roll is empty…