I was in my glory yesterday, after a rain shower moved through Vicksburg. The plants in our courtyard looked so lush and green, and the flowers were shimmering with raindrops.

When it stopped raining, I couldn't wait to get outside with my cameras and capture some of the pictures I had been imagining from the windows all morning.  The focal point of our courtyard is a waterfall, and that is where I began my photo shoot.

The Bougainvillea blooms were especially pretty, adding a bold splash of color to the courtyard.

I like the contrast between the bright red Bougainvillea and the lavender Lantana in the urn ...

The bright yellow Lantana which I planted in early Spring, seems to have taken the message on my "Grow Dammit" sign seriously. I had to uncover the sign to get this picture.

This single red Snapdragon is one of just a few "stragglers" that remain of the Snapdragons I planted in the Fall ...

It stands regally above the other flowers, and I just couldn't bear to pull it up.

My little geese, also known as "Maude and Claude," were huddled together in the pine straw underneath the Japanese Maple tree ...

I keep hoping they will have some little ones, but, so far, I haven't even spotted a nest!

Our Little Gem Magnolia trees, which are behind the waterfall, are loaded with buds now, and I can't wait for them to open. If you click on the pictures you can get a closer look at their "fuzzy" buds.

For some reason, I didn't get many magnolia pictures last summer (most likely, because of the extremely hot weather) ... but I hope to make up for it this year.

As I continued my walk, I crossed this bridge leading from the courtyard to the path that takes you to our backyard.

Several things caught my attention along the path. First of all, the wood ferns are popping up everywhere ...

And there were several roses blooming on the arbor ...

I will never cease to be amazed at how raindrops defy the laws of gravity ...

This rose, in particular, caught my eye. I love the contrast between what remains of its faded petals and the tightly wound new buds.

 My cobalt gazing ball stands at the end of the path ...

I love gazing balls and at the risk of being "tacky," would like to have several different colors ... perhaps ruby red, and purple and gold (we're LSU fans).

I stopped at the end of the path, and stood for a moment, enjoying the stillness and the lush greenness of everything around me.

I love taking pictures right after it rains. There's no glare or shadows to contend with ... just raindrops and puddles, and me and my camera.

And, as I said at the beginning of this story ... I was, indeed, in my glory.

Happy April!

When you think of red leaves, the first thing that probably comes to mind is Fall foliage. But today, I'd like to share some pictures I captured of our Japanese Maple tree, which is at its most beautiful this time of year.

We were having lunch on our patio recently, and the sun was highlighting the brilliant red tips of the tree, as if a spotlight was shining down on it.

I couldn't pass up a photo opportunity, and didn't want to miss capturing the tree in all its glory, with the tips of its brilliant red branches bathed in the sunlight.

You've probably heard the expression about someone "not being the brightest bulb on the string." Well, this leaf was definitely the brightest leaf on the tree. Isn't it spectacular!

The leaves against the April blue sky were breathtakingly beautiful. You can click on the pictures to get a closer look at the "veins" of the leaves.

The fruit of the Japanese Maple is exquisite. It reminds me of a delicate tropical flower ...

 Our tree is planted in a corner of our courtyard, and, although we've enjoyed it, it would be more colorful if it received more sunlight.  We will keep that in mind for future landscaping projects.