Spring begins

Cherry tree in our front yard

The first day of spring, March 20th.  It was 18 years ago today that my first partner died of AIDS.  I am staggered by that number.  I've mentioned before that I'm not good with time frames, but I can't believe that 18 years have passed.  I can remember the day like it was yesterday, but I can't remember much of yesterday. 

Jack's pear tree.  Our rottie, Jack, loved eating pears off this tree.
Cabell and Bremo took it up last year as well.

When Bert died, neither his family nor I were in any shape to endure a funeral.  We had a memorial cookout instead, at our place up in Catharpin, with family and friends.  It was far more appropriate, far more fun, altogether a better sendoff than a formal funeral.  Planning that event got me through the first week after his death.  I wanted flowers but wanted to do them myself, so we went to a florist and ordered flowers in bulk, which I then turned into many amateur arrangments, combined with some things that we had blooming in the yard at the time.  It was spring and I like to go to nurseries and buy plants, so one of the things that we did was purchase trees for everyone to take home to plant in their own yard as a memorial.  At least some of those trees must have survived and are probably rather spectacular specimens today. 

Here's a few flowering tree pics from our yard today, in honor of spring and in memory of Bert.

Redbuds along our front fence that Clay and I planted when we moved here.

All dogs I moved last weekend are still where I moved them, as of today anyway.  We are going to New Orleans next week so I'm not taking any more right now.  Six fosters and four of our own is enough for the housesitter to deal with.