Ahh, Spring. I love this time of year. The month of April is like a Xmas advent calender except instead of a little piece of chocloate, each day offers a new bloom. Vibrant pink and red Plum blossoms, the much celebrated Cherry blossoms, or Sakura, magnolia trees burst with fist sized flowers along the river banks, foreign tulips and dafodils sprout from baskets in front of bakeries, daisies, black-eyed susans, followed by miles and miles of well pruned azaleas and my favorite, the ever fragrant creeping, twisting wysteria vines. It makes the walk to work less burdensome. The advent of the cherry blossom is closely monitered in Japan. The weather report includes a look at the 'cherry front', a line that advances from the south in Kyushsu, and each weeks climbs another four or five
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