This last weekend, I drove on a back road through the hills to visit my hairdresser for a haircut. While I drove, I noticed the lush green of the trees, fuller than they were a few weeks ago. The bushes were larger and crowded, filling the empty space in the hills, and adding to the impression of a richness of the growing season. I realized that in the last few weeks spring had fully switched over to summer.

The last couple of weeks have been busy but I have taken a few moments here and there to enjoy the moment. Our weather is sunnier now and my sinuses are improving as well. I have had a couple of good workouts and enjoyed a walk on our trail. The yellow flowers are fading out and purple/violet is the strong theme for wild flowers. So far, my plants are surviving and the rabbits and squirrels haven’t eaten them yet. I planted marigolds on the edges of my gardens, I think they are helping to keep them away. Something to remember for future gardening.

With the start of May, spring continues, although not in the idealized, mild, sunny days often pictured in stories. We are experiencing a typical San Diego spring, or ‘May Gray’ as it is called. The days have been overcast, we’ve even had some rain, which is grayer than normal. However, I am not in a hurry for hot temperatures, so I’ll make do with cloudy days and enjoy the sun when it peeps out for bit. While it is spring time, the pictures are for the theme of family. It is always interesting to see the pictures my son picks out for these themes, even if I don't stay on topic for them.

With the vernal equinox on March 20th, spring is now officially here. There are lots of wild flowers in our area this year and our hills are very green after all of the rain we’ve had. Birds and butterflies are busy migrating, it feels like winter is losing its hold and spring will finally come and stay for a bit.

This last weekend was a bit different, my son and I attended a science fiction convention, CondorCon. After several very busy weeks at work, I enjoyed the break, getting out and listening to authors talk about writing, watching people dressed up as their favorite characters and stepping back from every day life. We were even blessed with sunny weather, just in time for the convention and any out of town visitors to our fair city.

Happy New Year to everyone, I hope your year has started off well. And thank you to those who wished me well after I wrote about not feeling at my best.  I am feeling better now, although I would prefer to hibernate this time of year, if I had the opportunity. I am glad I don’t get sick that often.

This week is part of the holiday season and also the week I celebrate my birthday. I was able to take a day off from work and I enjoyed just being with my family today. We had errands to run, so we were busy with that most of the day. Not quite the way most people celebrate, but it works for us.

I had meant to write about writing, but I have been thinking about the election this week. With the recent election cycle, I have been thinking about things I’d like to see in the future. While it is easy to focus on the political parties as the cause of all of the problems, I wanted to look a little deeper. Here are a couple of things I would like to see change.