Bursting forth...

...from their drab winter jackets the new leaves on this tree by the creek remind me a bit of us shedding our winter layers and donning our bright spring colors.

Although it is still quite cold in the morning, a fact I confirmed at 8:30 this morning waiting at Peet's for Chris to bring our four new library shelves,.

It warmed up by midmorning when I met my friend of 35 years of weekly lunches. We walked down to the Elmwood Cafe, a venerable soda fountain with a long provenance. For many years it was called Ozzie's, hence our dog's name, but has recently been reinvented as a coffee place/lunch spot.

Ozzie once held forth behind the counter chatting with a broad spectrum of customers, some regulars, some not. At that time the rest of the space was occupied by a pharmacy and I heard many a spirited discussion taking place over the BLT's and egg salad sandwiches as I went in to pick up prescriptions. The cafe kept the old soda fountain complete with red vinyl covered stools and the floor underneath worn by generations of feet. The bookstore next door expanded into part of the pharmacy and the rest is occupied by tables next to the large windows overlooking the street. They still have an egg salad sandwich but also a more upscale menu including smoked salmon sandwich with cream cheese and pickled onion. It is always crowded and alas, as with every establishment serving coffee there are the people who take up a table for hours with their laptops and a single cup of coffee.

It is a beautiful evening back in Santa Rosa--the air is humming with the sounds of the Culligan man installing the water softening system, David installing cabinets and Luis working on the irrigation system....