A Curiosity

Yesterday I was putting some things away and required a stapler. Of course, the stapler was empty. I reached into the desk drawer and pulled out the trusty of blue box of staples. I filled the stapler and as I was putting the box of staples back into its drawer, I thought. "We have had this box of staples for a long time." For some reason I looked at the price tag still on the box and was more than a little surprised to see the tag printing, "University Bookstore, $ .95 each."

The curiosity here is that the box of staples has been serving us for a long while. How long is the question? My guess is that it is between 25 and 45 years. I think I shall take on a little exploration to see if I can determine if nothing else the university bookstore where they were purchased.

More Spring Beauty

This past weekend we travelled to Arlington for a Kentucky Derby Party. That was all fun and good but upon arrival into the area we were awed by the blooming of pink and white dogwoods, other flowering trees and the colorful azaleas. There were places that the colorful bounty resembled poufy pillows. Just as it was when we visited the Cherry Blossoms, the weather was overcast, rainy and very cool for the season. The advantage of this is that on cloudy days it is easier to see the differences in the colors of the foliage, there are a gazillion greens, a multitude of pinks, and wide range of lavender to purple. With this, join me to view some of the highlights of what we saw.

The three views above are of some Erica and Geoff's azaleas.

This is a retaining wall around the corner.

Last year a local acquaintance suggested that a visit to the National Arboretum when azaleas are blooming is not to be missed. We did go last year but we were four or five days past the peak. We decided this year that if what we were seeing in Arlington and the District was any indication, then a stop at the Arboretum on our way home was a must. Because it was raining we did not leave the car. There are many more beautiful sections on the hills above where we were but these photos give a good indication of what we saw and what is deeper in the woods.