i was in the mood for bicycling today on this record breaking warm sunday. there was something in air that i didn't notice yesterday: the flowering trees have started their annual show. riding the bike to belmont, i passed by yellows and pinks and whites, their spicy fragrances scenting the streets. the nicer weather brought out more cyclists, which i could've done without as i got passed a few times. they'd never pass me if i was on the motorcycle, i thought to myself as i tried to ease my bruised ego. tomorrow looks to be a motorcycle day.

i continued with some weeding in my parents' backyard. all the recent rain has soften the soil, and weeds such as dandelions pull up a lot easier with their taproots entirely intact. the place where the peonies used to grow (eastern edge of the yard) i've converted to a shady hosta garden. i've relocated the peonies to the eastern side of the yard. however, i discovered a stray peony poking out from the future hostas. i'm willing to leave it alone for now.

my mother was telling me my sister wanted me to go outside to see the "hulk." after some initial confusion, turns out she meant to say a hawk. it seems preoccupied sitting in the treetop and wasn't in a hurry to leave, despite the fact that my sister was noisily in the backyard blowing bubbles for the dog to chase. it wasn't hard to figure out what the hawk was looking at: the neighbors' clucking chickens. the neighbors were gone for the weekend, but the chickens must've been out in their wired coop. red-tails rarely attack chickens, preferring to prey on smaller mice instead. still, it's been known to happen, so looks like their might be some mutual of omaha wildlife drama in the near future.

in the evening my family went over to my aunt and uncle's place in arlington for dinner. my parents brought along a big pot of fish heads for the occasion. i came with some immature golden raspberry plants to add to their backyard. they recently did some major bathroom renovations (e.g. moving the toilet) and we got a tour of the makeover.

after dinner we returned to belmont where i then rode back home to cambridge. it was still warm enough that i made it back in just a t-shirt.

i finally finished the last episode of the wire. good people get fired, bad guys go free, but through it all, there are still some personal triumphs. for anyone who's interested in seeing the series, i recommend doing what i did, locking yourself in the house for a week and plowing through all 60 episodes. i feel like i just finished a really lengthy but good book and my brain is still exploding and trying to make sense of all the characters and the various plots. although i'm disappointed there won't be a 6th season, it's also nice to see a show quit while it's still on top (i'm looking at your sopranos and battlestar galactica). had they gone a 6th, i think it would've been interesting to explore the lawyer aspect of the game.