Favorite Friday... My Bed, Rainy Days and Blossoms in the Spring

Today I woke to the sound of raindrops on my window and I couldn't bring myself to get out of bed. I laid there for an hour letting my mind wander with the steady rhythm of the rain keeping time. I mulled over my dreams trying to make some sense of them - to no avail. I realized how much I love my bed, the 400-count sheets I splurged on so long ago, the down comforter and pillows, the memory foam from my mama. It makes it so difficult to get out of bed some mornings. :) When you factor in the rain this morning, I didn't have a prayer of getting out of bed before eight. 

Hours have passed this morning and the rain has not let up. The sky has graduated from a ominous dark purplish gray to a faded oatmeal color, but the rain has not stopped for a minute. The sky seems to open up every few minutes and burst forth in torrents of rain, the sound of which can be wonderfully deafening. After exercising this morning, I went and stood on our deck outside and just immersed myself in it - not literally, although I considered it. I imagined what this beautiful rain could do to pots and baskets overflowing with plants in my little space. I listened to the sound of the passing cars swooshing by on the soaked streets and breathed in the scent of spring rain. Tender mercies my friends, tender mercies. They are all around us, all the time, there for the having.

I got a heaping portion of them earlier this week. We have been watching for the peak bloom time of the cherry blossoms in DC and decided Wednesday was our best bet. Although chilly and gray, it was perfect. The cherry trees were stunning, breathtaking and intoxicating. Their fragrance filled the air and even tinted it a slight shade of pink. The Tidal Basin was encircled about in blooms. There was live music at the Jefferson Memorial and I couldn't help but dance.

We saw scores of Elders, took a paddle boat out in the Basin and flew kites at the W. Monument. And as beautiful as the cherry blossoms were, I think the magnolias could give them a run. They were amazing! All said, a perfectly spent day.

We haven't been to the Jefferson Memorial since moving here. The last time was almost exactly seven years ago. The words of Thomas Jefferson were so inspiring and the monument itself demands reverence. I just wish there hadn't been so many people. No matter. 

We let Et manage the camera for most of the day and he kept taking random pics of me. 

First round of kite-flying at the Washington.

Stonewall the DC Police horse and Officer "What's his name again?"He had the kindest face.