Nemesi? Nemeses?

Our garden has been taken over by winged horrors. Not mosquitoes, not locusts, but maple seeds. While I don't deny any being the right to procreate, I really wish our tree wouldn't feel the need to spread its seed so freely and massively. The lawn is covered in a thick layer of the stuff, and crunches beneath my feet. When we leave the truck out for an hour, we'll drive away with a trail of helicopters twirling from the bed.
I must say I quite enjoy that in an evil kind of 'let-someone-else-deal-with-it' way.

What's interesting is that for weeks I kept an eye on the progress of the maple. I took photos every day when it started to bud, and flower. And then, when the helicopters arrived, I was done with it. Not consciously, but still.
Today, when I looked at them objectively I realised these seeds are genius. And beautiful.

Other beautiful things happened today: I woke up to the news that my niece safely delivered her baby girl. What a mother's day present that is for her, for her mom, my sister and our mom. Three generations of mothers, all in one day!
It also made me great-aunt again. I already was a great aunt ;)

I'm glad we'll be visiting soon (10 days!) so that I can meet her, and my other niece's little boy who was born after I left and whom I've never met either. Good times!