A vibrant life-giving dictator...

The Sun has dubious control over my life. For the first few years in Washington the winters didn't really phase me, but now I look towards the dark damp winter and feel silent despair wave and ripple down my spine. At this point it is probably 90% psychological, but more and more I miss the suffocating dead heat of California and laugh unsympathetically when the locals whine when the mercury bumps above 80 degrees.
Sunshine rules my life. I curl up like a cat in the rectangle of sun that graces us in the morning through the sliding glass doors. I wake up increasingly early, now averaging a 5:40 wake-up without any attempt to train myself into the rhythm. It is with great joy I come to a day off and realize I can get up before everyone else (happily) and get errands done, stare at birds, coo at flowers, and put in a full 4-6 hours before the Otter even peeks his head above the sheets in his den. Sadly many businesses don't share my enthusiasm for the bright, clean early hours, but wonderful Winco is open 24/7, so I can always get the groceries done before too many other people get the same idea.
In such a fit of early morning wonder, yesterday I embarked on a little drive to Mima Mounds, convinced that the spring would bring something lovely to the lumpy prairie Brandon and I visited in February.
Suffice to say, I am very glad I went. Here, a chocolate lily nods along, one of a few to still be seen blooming.

 The common camas began in dribbles but soon swelled in number to dapple the prairie pale shimmering blue in the morning light.

 There is a much less common form of camas that blooms white.

 Camas by the thousands, if not millions

 Deep dark violets here and there, popping out of the low vegetation like little secrets

I wondered briefly if any shooting stars were still flowering, looked down to my left, and lo... Most already had little seed capsules.

 One small patch of the threatened Golden Indian Paintbrush and a more common orange paintbrush

Nice moss, about to release gametes

 Little star flowers beginning in the woods

 It was a gorgeous day, I spent a large portion of it reading in the sun. And that is life here, cheers!