Easter Tulips

I may have already written about this, but they are worth at least two entries. And since we are leaving on vacation tomorrow, it is probably the last day I will get to see their velvety glory. The first year in a new house has its ups and downs (ups: having a basement to throw toys into, even if it eventually becomes an abyss that needs a shovel to unearth; downs: realizing the side street is actually a lot busier now that the road construction in the neighborhood is over). But by far the best surprise was waking up on Easter morning and finding on the side of the street, the street that is busier than we like, a mounded bed of tulips opening their arms to the sun. They are more than your average tulip, though since we had nothing to do with planting them, I don't know what kind they are. They are low to the ground and have broad leaves that came up just after the snow melted. When they are open, the inside of the petals shimmer and reflect the sun so much that when I tried to take a picture, the light bounced right back. These are not flowers that want to be photographed, at least not by my point-and-shoot camera. Inside there is a dollop of yellow surrounded by a black frame that invites the bees to come, taste and see! We will miss their daily show while we're gone, and most likely they will be finished by the time we are back. But for their brief glory, and their Easter gift to us, we are grateful. Now, do you think our flowering tree can hold off until we get back?