Wordless Wednesday

They aren't finished yet...

these not-as-fragile-as-they-look cherry blossoms:

 'Shirofugen'

I was certain the weekend hail storm would have turned them to brown-tinged, pink mush. Thankfully, not.

Sigh. {The longing, wistful kind.} If only I could weather the storms of life so gracefully :-).

Wordless Wednesday

It's.Raining.AGAIN.

Or maybe it hasn't stopped. At least not since yesterday early evening midday.

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'

S-i-g-h.

Big. Sigh. Again. The kind you make after a wet, chilly April followed by more rain than sun during the first week of May -- a fresh month that started with the promise of warmth and sunshine but now looks & feels more like March. And November. Combined.

Except for the blossoms :-). They're a little weather-battered but still beautiful, graceful, and, because of their resilience & tenacity, spirit-lifting. The rain cannot wash them away. Hurrah!

Time to turn away from the window. (I'm obsessing: Is the sky looking a bit lighter? The pounding on the metal flashing quieter?) Instead, I'll look to the screen where I've saved brighter moments from this past week.

Prunus 'Ukon'

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'

Prunus 'Shirofugen'

Prunus serrulata 'Kanzan'

Flowering crabapple (Malus)

And, ahem, may I remind May she has some promises to keep. I'm more than ready to go "racing through meadows without any coat."

'Kiku-shidare-zakura'

'Kiku-shidare-zakura' (chrysanthemum weeping cherry), April 29th