May flowers

Some of the beautiful late April and May blooming flowers.

There are photos that may be similar to last year's favorites . . . but that is just it . . . my favorites get photographed each year I suppose.  I love springtime!

Iris

Lilac

Hosta

Peonies!

    
Iris

Abbey on the porch with peonies and hosta

STORM

Last night (May 26th) there was a storm with very strong winds, thunder and lightning and even hail (pea-size).  After a half hour, it seemed to be over (rain had stopped and rumbling was distant) and then out of nowwhere - FLASH - CRACK!  POP!  Off goes the DVD player, Larry and Joseph were watching and POP - silence.  Off goes the computer I was on.  Silence.  Still.  Just us and the house and a still nervous dog.  I must say the melatonin (3 mg) did help Abbey very well during thunder storms. 

Always hoping electronics survive the pop-off (and they did, thankfully) and this was close - perhaps the transformer behind us. Headlamps came out and eventually light switches tuned off and up to bed we all went, around 8:30 (thinking a transformer would take quite awhile to make it on Adams Electric's list). Up to bed in a quiet house that smelled of baking cupcakes.  My big project of baking 50 cupcakes and decorating them for my half of the cupcake contribution to the Kindergarten picnic was suddenly put on hold as two dozen sat - mostly cooked in the cooling oven (1 dozen was quite edible the next morning).

Watching the storm come in and distant lightning. 

Skies are not like Midwest openness, so we don't see cummulus building. 

More of the complete gray overcast, non defined mass.

"Let's get inside Mom."

Darkening skies.  Oh what is to come for you peonies!

There are no photos of this cupcake cookoff on Friday (this morning), but suffice it to say, all were baked and Larry (on his day off) even frosted them and added the gummy butterflies and packed up sandwiches for the picnic.  YUM!  Other than the frosting, these cupcakes were a no oil, no yolk recipe (with applesauce, egg whites and yogurt instead).  My slightly stressed brain was not into taking food photos at the time.

Later, when I told Joseph that Daddy frosted and decorated all of the cupcakes, Joseph said, "Wow, you're lucky Daddy!"  "Why is that," I asked.  "Lucky to get that promotion," said Joseph. 

Exactly, my boy.