on spring, and a smile

On spring:

Yesterday, while crossing the bridge above a rail corridor, I noticed that the trees along the tracks all had that lovely hue of green that is composed of many baby leaves who have yet to grow up and darken.

There are some flowering bushes near my workplace that smell lovely. At the base of these bushes the grass is the most unbelievable shade of fresh, zesty green.

There has been a pleasant mix of blue sky, clouds, rain and sunshine of late. It's perfect rainbow season. As I left work today it was pouring rain, and yet I wished I had sunglasses to see where I was going. (I was headed west, obviously.)

Also, the sun and the clouds/mist were doing the most interesting thing at the tops of the mountains today. Most of the sky was dark with rich grey rainclouds, but right above the mountains the clouds appeared mistier and lighter, and the sun was making this mist glow very prettily.

Yesterday I left work much later than usual, and I saw large, tall popcorn-like clouds being illuminated with that blue post-sunset light against a darkening blue sky. It was most striking. When I got off the bus at home, the stars and Venus were blazing brightly and brilliantly.

A smile:

On my bus today, there were two men, about age 30, who were having a conversation in Spanish. I wasn't really paying attention at all, until I heard the word "Mennonitas." I guess I respond to that word like one might respond to hearing one's name, and I glanced up quickly and happened to make eye contact with one of them. He obviously understood that something he had just said caught my attention, and I got the feeling he even figured it was the "Mennonite" word. However, I wasn't sure what to say, so I said nothing. As I got off the bus a few minutes later, I walked past his window. This time, we made eye contact again, and I decided to smile warmly. The smile was heartily returned.