Only Because It's Spring!

It snowed today, but it can't fool me.  I can tell spring is coming to Tsuruoka.

I saw this grandma out in her garden as we drove by.  I told Ken I had to have a picture.  So we parked and walked back a couple of blocks, just so I could get a picture of her and her little garden cart.  I just love these pictures.

 It seems that everywhere we go, we see older people out working in their gardens.  We recently were hunting an address and Ken pulled over right by this gentleman's garden.  While Ken studied the map, I thoroughly enjoyed watching him oh, so slowly and  meticulously care for his garden. 

Remember this huge snow pile across the street from our apartment?  Boy, I do. 

A couple of weeks ago, it looked like this.

And now it looks like this!

These turtles were out sunning themselves

The swans were also enjoying the sun.

These cute children were out enjoying the spring.  Ken asked their mother if I could take their picture.

Through the entire winter, though, there has been one flower that never died.  In the very harshest blizzards, this little pink flower just kept blooming.  I've taken several pictures of them over the weeks.  They are everywhere in Tsuruoka:

In English, they are called Camelias

My favorite picture is this one of our neighbor.  I was just leaving to go out for a little walk the other day.  I heard singing coming from my neighbor's yard, so I stopped and watched her for a minute and listened to her merry tune.  She saw me and motioned for me to come.  I went up into her yard.  She proudly showed me her little cherry tree that she has in a pot by her door.  It was in full bloom.  She was happy with it and happy to share it with me.  Though we can't communicate in words at all, we definitely communicated our joy in spring to each other. 

We've made friends with this neighbor.  When we didn't know her name, we called her "You ain't seen nothin' yet."  She would walk by when Ken was shoveling snow, and with a big smile on her face, say in Japanese, basically, "You ain't seen nothin' yet!"  But we've since learned her name.  Ken shoveled her walk several times during the winter and we've exchanged gifts and always exchange pleasantries and greetings.  She is Ken's soulmate, as she loves gardening and she puts food out for the birds all through the winter. 

I've decided it takes a winter to really appreciate spring.  I am enjoying it more this year more than I ever have, I think.  Beware of future posts of sakura- the famous Japanese cherry blossoms.  There are cherry trees everywhere and the buds are beginning to swell.  I think our neighbor's tree is ahead because it is near her door and in a pot, but the rest will be out soon.  I'm sure I will be taking a million pictures and posting most of them!!