The trees were being trimmed today, and the wood chipper was set up at the end of my block, so I was awakened by its ungodly howling. All along the block, the utility lines have been freed from the overhanging branches. Down the road at the edge of town, several ponderosas have been removed entirely. I suspect that I'll miss them when out for a walk on the blistering afternoons of summer. One large tree whose needles had turned entirely brown has also been taken out. It may have been infested with bark beetles. Just as well it's gone before infecting more trees, but still I suspect I'll miss its shade come summer.
The blossoms of the apple orchard are rapidly vanishing beneath new leaves, and it won't be long before the fruit appears. The wild plum next to the neighbor's driveway is also ready to fruit, and soon I will hear the raccoons rustling about in the night, gorging themselves and leaving small piles of pit-filled spoor. Not long before the blue jays will be nesting again, too, and their chicks screeching for food all day. Things will be lively for the next few weeks, before the placid days of early summer begin their slow procession. As April was so oddly like March ought to have been, I have no idea what to expect from May, which is usually my favorite month. Maybe it will be like April ought to have been. Whatever comes, I'm just glad that there's finally been a sunny, spring-like day.
