Flowering horsechestnuts

Whew! This one almost got away! I noticed last week that the horse chestnut tree in our neighborhood was flowering.

I made it a point to get out today to photograph it and some of the flowers were turning brown. The perfume of the flowers was tipping a little to the point of over-ripe perfumey, like a sweet old great aunt who’s kept the windows closed all winter. You love to visit and the smell is pleasant enough, one of those that will probably imprint on your memory.

I brake for . . .

My diesel VW New Beetle is running just fine. There’s probably a funny bumper sticker out there for the contemporary model. “New and improved clown capacity!” For my green beetle and vegan lifestyle: “Give peas a chance!”

This was a pretty nice looking old beetle in our neighborhood. Still, the bumper sticker is a knee-slapper. “I brake for . . . Oh shit, no brakes!”