This is the beautiful yellow flower of the St. John's Wort. We got this plant at the plant sale I wrote about earlier. It looked like it might not make it for such a long time, but here it is looking so beautiful.

The celebration of Mother's Day usually brings with it the lovliness of a gift of flowers. This year was no exception. I received this lovely hanging basket from Tony, my youngest. I love the color of these petunias. They make me feel happy. I keep them on the table on my front porch so that they can remind me every day of how lucky I am to be the mother of such wonderful children.

A Beautiful Surprise!

Some flowers just seem to bring the joy of life to me. One of them is the hibiscus. It brings to mind a beautiful love story told to me by a dear friend. Before her husband died, he bought her one of these plants. She loved it and cared for it, and it grew, but it didn't blossom. After his death, and especially when she needed to feel his love for her, she would suddenly find one of its glorious blooms outside her door. Just think of how one must feel to miss someone so desparately and then get a floral message that says, "I Love You!" For me, the blossoms mean fun in Houston at my daughter's house. She would always have them around her pool. We spent many hours swimming in the summer sun and enjoying their beauty. So now, I have them by my front door. As I walked outside today, my breath was stolen by how lovely they look.

The Strawberries Are Here!

What a surprise! I drove up to the gate and found the tiered strawberry patch we ordered so long ago waiting for us. Could this be the announcement that someone thinks spring is finally here for good? My daughter and I took the time to put in the circular planter this morning. It has its own waterer and a top that keeps rabbit, birds, etc. out of our prized Ozark Strawberries. We were surprised at how little time it took to put it all together. Or, it could have been that we were beyond ourselves with excitement over the project. We kept dreaming of yummy strawberry pie, preserves, jams, jellies---yum, yum, yum. We were rushing to get it all in before the rain hit. We wanted to give mother nature a chance to help out a little. And, we made it. It has been about four days and green stuff (not weeds) is popping up all over the place. Wow!

Grass Fires

This was a very scary week. We were already in a drought condition when a dry front went through. Grass fires broke out all over the area. Since I live in an area surrounded by grass, it is one of my big fears. It started while I was at work which is located close to a main east to west artery in our little community. Fire truck after fire truck went by. When I got home, everyone was angry that I had left my cell phone off (due to telemarketers). In the mean time the sky had become a hazy brown like the dust storm days in Lubbock when I was a child. The grass fires were raging all around me. Before it was over, two small towns had burned to the ground and many thousands of acres had been scorched. Two people had died from the flames and many had been affected by the smoke. My daughter stayed home on Friday to do some mowing of tall grass as a precautionary measure. Today is Sunday and we have the welcome relief of a long slow rain. We really needed it.

Botanical Garden Plant Sale

It was a very cold day. All of the people who were to ride with me decided to stay home, I added another layer of clothing and went anyway. My daughter Cassie decided to go with me. Since it was our first time to go to this event, we thought it was a great adventure. However, we will know more of what to do next time. I will take my gardening wagon for sure because carrying things around was not very convenient. We bought several neat plants: St. John's Wart, Pin Cushion, a tiny rose. I couldn't wait to get them home and in the ground. The picture is the pin cushion.

Spring Storms

I will never forget the storm season last year. A dear friend of mine who is a wonderful gardener and worked at it all the time lost everything due to a hail storm. It was so heart breaking to walk into her garden after the storm because I knew what it was like before. However, a good gardener is a patient person as was she. She made the best of things by replanting and nurturing. I'll never forget the lessons she taught me about life. Well, my hail storm came last night. It was a surprise really. I couldn't believe it when the golf ball sized chunks of ice rained down on my little bit of heaven. At first I wanted to go out and cover everything, but it was way to dangerous to even leave the house. Then I remembered her faith in renewal and her patience in the face of adversity. When morning came, I looked over the things I have come to love so much in my garden. I was lucky this time. By noon everything had sprung back and was growing again. I was thankful for the rain though.

My Kitchen Garden

Well quite a while has gone by since my last post. I have been busy in my garden. I am creating a kitchen garden outside my back door. I've planted my bed of peas and they are up. I've also got my beautiful lavender transplanted. The lighting is up and the water feature is in. I'm still working on the electrical part of the project. It is funny how the little things keep a project tied up. I have a friend giving me advice on getting electricity to items that need it. Hopefully it will be done by next week. It is all very exciting.