Springtime and Autumn Leaves

I know I just barely mentioned spring a few days ago, but I can't help myself.

It really is my favorite time of year.

Everything is perfect.

The cool mornings turning to warm afternoons.

Opening all of the windows.

Snow one day, sunshine the next, and some rain here and there.

One of my very favorite things about this time of year is that the kids actually want to go outside.

 Lately they have been piling up all of our autumn leaves so they can run,

 and jump,

and bury each other in the leaves.

Why do we still have so many leaves in our backyard?

Well...

We live in a townhome and every year the guys (as I like to call them) come through with their leaf blowers and collect all of the leaves that have fallen in our yards.  Our tree decides to hold onto its leaves until the day after the guys come through.  It almost always snows on the day that our tree drops its leaves, which means we rake up our leaves in March, or possibly April.  

Enough about the dead leaves...

The tree is just about to burst with blossoms.

I keep looking, every day.

Maybe tomorrow will be the day that the first blossom will pop.