Photo by The Urban Naturalist
The sun finally came out late yesterday afternoon, inspiring me to open all the doors and windows after dinner to enjoy the cool spring air and the lenghtening shadows of early evening.
The sun stays up a lot longer, now. So it was just before sunset when the three boys who stay with their father every-other week arrived at his home next door. They are little boys. The oldest is 6, and the youngest pushing 2.
Two weeks ago, the 6-year-old had come buzzing over to our house almost as soon as he arrived because our tulips had started blooming. He was so excited because he'd been learning about bees that week, and he wanted to see whether our flowers had adequate "nectar."
Yesterday was no different. Less than half an hour after their mother dropped them off, I heard the commotion of squeals and giggles out on the front walk. The tulips, now awash with color, had attracted all three boys and their father. The 2- and 3-year-olds trotted happily up and down the walk, while the oldest was intent on poking his fingers inside the bloom of a yellow tulip that was as tall as his youngest brother.
"Look!" he exclaimed, pointing to yellow streaks on the leg of his jeans. "I got the pollen out!" I shared his excitement, then pointed to a group of white tulips tipped in lavendar.
"You know, last spring, those tulips were totally white," I told him. "What do you suppose happened to them?"
"Oh! It must have been the bees! The bees!" the little boy said. "You should take a video of the bees!"
"But I never see them," I said.
"Then you should take a video of me being the bees!" he shouted happily and ran his fingers through the red, orange, yellow and purple flowers.
I trust we'll see the boys every day on this visit -- and perhaps the next. It all depends on how long the tulips last.
Comments