Midway through May, I was sure this tree would never show any sign of life. It was hardy enough at one time to have grown on both sides of the fence, but as the rest of the yard turned green, it stayed bare.

A week after the above picture was taken, the tree looked like this:

That's quite a turnaround. Life-affirming. Hope-giving.

The very next day I noticed this cascade of purplish petals. There's no end to the surprises I find every time I walk out into my yard.

When I moved here, the landlord promised to fix the derelict sprinkler system. After a few weeks of spring, I'm still not insisting on his keeping his word, because some of my most relaxing moments on any given day are spent with the hose in my hand.

Tonight while I was watering, these things happened:

• I gave a hummingbird a shower. The little guy darted in and out of the spray from my hose, with the adjustable nozzle set, naturally, on "shower." When I'd move on to the next spot, it would sit on a branch and fan its tiny feathers, then catch up with me.
  
  
• Quite accidentally, I rousted a pair of field mice from their hiding place among the irises. As soon as I started watering in that area, I saw the two of them scamper away, into the brush.
  
  
• I blasted a bunch of snails out of sight.

That was, without question, the best part of my day.