5/9-frost overnight, it got down into the middle 30's here with whitened lawns and rooftops. The wind was brisky but the sun was out. Iris are blooming in various stages around the house:

Mrs. Krabappel in her glory:

In the afternoon:

Buddy went on patrol:

and ended up at one of his favorite places in warm weather: a nice soft cushion in an elevated chair-a feline happy place:

and finally, blissful on his Mum's lap:

5/10-our first al fresco dining on the deck. Mr. Grosbeak stopped by the Diner and we were serenaded by a number of neighborhood Avian soloists.

5/11-a gorgeous Spring day and the Diner was busy:

Little Guy surveying the scene:

Misters Redbird and Finch having a bite:

Big Blue at the bath:

Iris in the West Garden ready to unfold:

This stage in their blooming is often missed as it happens in just a few hours. The shape reminded me of the traditional Dutch bonnet:

Iris and fading lilacs. The lilacs are old and I had them cut back several years ago as they were only blooming on top. I now realize the culprit was lack of sunlight blocked by a dying beech tree. I had it removed last year and now the lilac has had a more productive year:

The shrub whose name I cannot ever remember-I like the vein pattern on its leaves:

The lily of the valley is just about ready to bloom:

Freddie: Got nuts?

You bet!

The shadows lengthen while the sun backlights Father Birch's leaves:

5/13-cooler, overcast and muggy with sprinkles now and then. The lily of the valley are blooming now. The West Garden where the iris are in full bloom:

An insane chipper tempting fate: sitting on the far end of the deck with his back turned to a predator who is lounging on the step by the slider:

After 5 minutes, he looked over his shoulder. Buddy, attentively watching, made no movement towards him. Finally, having escaped death, the Chipper jumped down to the lawn and ran off. Sheesh, was this a young man's bravado or a scene from a inter-species Spaghetti western?

Later-one of the LongTails enjoying some stale bread I threw out on the buffet:

Although not hot out, the mugginess made Buddy lethargic and he enjoyed our daily chillin' on the couch while C soaked in the tub. Of course, chin scritches and belly rubs were administered:

A lone, youngish Tom visited the Diner. We haven't seen turkeys as of late because March-April is mating season. We wondered if this guy is another Todd, our term for a male who failed to mate and often is ostracized by his pals as a result. I wrote about this in 2022 when we had another dude wandering the neighborhood-alone and cancelled.

He went over to Benny's Diner as well:

Chin up lad and better luck next year! Young love can be heartbreaking.

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In honor of this season of egg/baby making, a couple of tunes from our species' Great American Songbook:

Cole Porter's Let's Do It (Let's Fall In Love) 1928. C thinks this is Porter singing.

Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern's The Way You Look Tonight 1936. This features Billie Holiday in a up-tempo version of an often melancholic song C refers to as "anticipatory nostalgia".

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Fun Vids:

Moss Mimic Stick Insect from the rain forest in Ecuador-great example of evolutionary camo:

Bioluminescence in Jervis Bay, Australia:

The Nazca Spirals:

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Odd vids from Will Oldham aka Bonnie "Prince" Billy whose music has been described as post-punk goth folk. I get a strong whiff of cannabis and/or 'shrooms from the visuals. See a young Angel Olsen in this 2004 vid I See A Darkness: