{ the jaunty magpie }

Indulge the Birdy's penchant for photos lately -- the springtime blooms and more hospitable weather is inspiring to my shutterbug tendencies.  I know it sounds silly, but I consider the camellia plants in the backyard my Miracle Plants. I put them in YEARS ago, and they have been overdue to bloom, but thankfully over the last couple of years, we've been getting a steady and growing number of flowers. I can see the bright blooms from our bedroom window, it's so very nice, and I like to celebrate that. 

This year's blooms did not disappoint. While I know they have no relation to the rose, and apparently they originate from Asia, I think of camellias as a Northwest rose. It's rose-like in shape, the leaves manage to stay perfectly evergreen, even during the cold winter months. They're typically one of the first to bloom at the far edge of winter, but ours seem to enjoy the height of the springtime weather, when it's still cool, the skies flip-flop between drizzly gray and sunny blue, and these gorgeous flowers stay vibrant through all of it. Sure, this Bird's pretty easily amused, but this is definitely one of my favorite photos so far this year, and that's a good sign of the year to come.

Jaunty Fine Print: Photograph by Denise Sakaki