I spent the morning wrestling with dressage tests, calculators, scrap paper and pens. It was a desperate fight to keep everything on the table with me, where it belonged, and not flying off downwind towards Holyoke and the river. On the whole, I won. All the tests that arrived at my table were scored, and checked, and the scores entered in three different places. And all the tests that came to me, went to the riders at the end of the day and not the river or Holyoke. But it took a lot of rocks on the table, and a lot of holding things down, and a borrowed coat and gloves to keep from freezing.

The show was at the fairgrounds, so I walked to work, and walked home again. On the way over this morning, I stood with the sun behind me and looked over a field that was still full of the winter crops – slightly green and some tan, and the trees edging it.

I was so engrossed working on a decorative spine for my portfolio that I forgot I'd made the circle for today, and taken the picture and left the camera upstairs.

Generally the lilacs bloom here in time for Lilac Sunday, which is usually also Mother's Day, the second Sunday in May. I have been Morris dancing on Lilac Sunday at the Boston Arboretum and thought my fingers and toes would fall off from the cold. To be fair, I have also seen extraordinary heat over the same weekend, which says more about changeable New england weather than about global climate change. Mostly.

Anyway, the lilacs are out. I feel lucky to have more unusual lilac bushes in my neighborhood than most. There's a pink one, my white edged deep purple one, several regular lilac ones and more white ones. It is all very festive.

With the rain, the leaves on the trees are out in force. Almost overnight it seems to have gone from gauzy and lacy to a more solid look. The greens are all different too. Sycamore leaves are very light green, maples are yellowy green, the birch leaves have some blue in them, and they are all brilliant against the evergreens.

I may have to go find some more green threads!

I did say when it rained, you'd know. After all kinds of forecasts for rain yesterday, and not getting any, I must admit I was dubious. Until I looked at the weather radar and saw large green splotches of rain headed twoards us. So. After more than three dry weeks, it is pelting rain and cold, and all the plants look relieved.

Getting depth of field in fabric is tricky. I wanted to fade the rain streaks a little, and some of the branches, so I put a layer of organza over part of the image and stitched into it again. I think I could repeat that process and get greater depth. If it rains tomorrow, I will try that.

I was inspired by Red Kate's pictures of my backyard dogwood.

This tree is one of my favorite things I planted. Aerin remembers jumping over it when it was just a stick in the ground. Now it towers over us all, and the bunnies cannot nibble it in winter, and it gives a sweet shade in summer.