How lucky we are to have that one extra day in February.

In all honesty, I didn’t pay much attention to Leap Year until I heard a woman on the news talk about being only 25, and has lived 100 years. Then, of course, there are those who playfully spoke of a leap of faith. Social media “engagements” were off the chart with perfect timing for taking the leap. And it was all something extra.

Silly?

I don’t know. It all got me thinking about that extra day we were gifted – a great time to gravitate towards photos that encompassed something extra for me.

The first week, I had some extra time with my granddaughter. We visited the Japanese Friendship Garden of Phoenix, where I figured she would be enamored with the wooded walking trails, waterfalls, and koi. And she was… until she eyed a playground on the other side of the garden wall.

The climbing wall was a new experience for her because like anything in life, what goes up must come down, and she wasn’t quite sure how to do that. Luckily, some deep contemplation, and she found her way. And just in time for some extra fun!

The Arizona Puppet Theater was showing The Little Engine That Could. My granddaughter knew the story, but it was her first time seeing a live puppet show. Shout out to the puppeteer who made all the puppets….during the pandemic. She needed something else to fill her time and with items she had around the studio she brought us THIS.

Of course there was still time for our sunrise hikes, local events, and happy hours.

And home, where I hang my heart, are sweet something extras too. The strawberries seemed to ripen overnight. The rogue flower decided it had more potential in the street, and one of the sunflowers was confused and grew petals from its center.

And snap! just like that we have dragons in the garden. Well…snapdragons anyway. This last photo of February highlights my garden and these volunteers that arrive faithfully outside my bedroom window, year after year. And even though I know they will arrive, there is such delight in their presence.

Do you know they are symbolic of grace and strength?

You do now.

It is up to us to decide what to do with our only true possession…time. – Gilbert Haley.

Wind Kisses, Donna