Liliacs are here...

My mom called this weekend to see if I've been out picking liliacs. They are my all-time favorite flower, her's too, and in bloom right now.

Outside of considering pulling off the road on the Kennedy, where there are miles upon miles of them out in full force, I haven't really given much thought to cutting any down. I stop at every tree while out walking with Stella and Ben, but I could never cut flowers from one of them...

But she got me thinking. And I started to keep my eye out. As it happens, there are many huge lilac bushs growing into the alleys. The alley's are kind of a different story (or so I rationalized at 7:30am while we were on the prowl), no mans land. I wouldn't clip a tree on the sidewalk, one everyone is enjoying, but who appreciates these overgrown alley trees?

And so we started trimming. One or two stems from each alley tree, and over the course of the day, and two long walks, we arranged this. It smells absolutely glorious.

I still feel a little guilty, what do you think? Is this a crime?