sunset

it really is amazing how overwhelmingly beautiful a sunset can be....this big, yellow, glowing ball hung in the sky last night against a backdrop of a million different shades of orange and it- as cliche as it sounds- almost took my breath away. i drove over the crest of a hill- and there it was, in all its fullness.

the spring wildflowers are out, the foothills are green as can be, and yesterday while i sat outside (correction- sweated outside) doing a little reading, a little boy was swimming in the pool in my apartment complex. yes, folks, it's beginning to look a lot like summer here in socal. BUT, don't let it fool you, i think this is just an especially warm spell. of course it will likely be gone before molly gets here next week. next week! ahhh, the excitement is building for those special visitors. but i can't let myself think about it too much or i simply cannot focus.

on friday i went on a hike in the foothills just a few minutes from my apartment, and i was pleasantly surprised by the trees with big, sweeping branches, the grassy hillsides, and the wildflowers alongside the trail. sometimes when i get stuck in the middle of the city for too long, i forget that there are beautiful places so nearby. last night i went for a walk. some sort of flower smelled so "heavenly," as my mom would say, i could smell it halfway down the street. if my mom or grandma had been there, i'm sure they could have named it, but alas, it will have to remain a mystery. turns out, sometimes a walk is just what i need.