Christmas Cactus

My thumbs aren't green.  They aren't black, either.  Sometimes I have luck, other times I just have dead plants.

I have found the plant for me.  The Christmas Cactus.  Loves being dry.  Like rock hard dry.  And after you forget about it for months, it comes back with the most abundant and interesting flowers ever.

I wish I could have timed this one a bit better, as in a delay of a week or two, but I'll take it.

My orchid...isn't doing as well.  It makes me nervous. 

Dwindling

This photo is the after bloom of my dwindling Allium collection. I started with 7 flowers and lost one or two each year since we moved here. This is number 2 of two that remain. I suppose it is fitting that I'm pulling out this flower bed to put in a rock garden with fountain or pond. Perhaps the Allium knew the cycle.

The flowers slowly decreased as weeds and junk increased. It became overgrown with the bad stuff and barely dotted with the good. Even the good hosta became ugly as the weeds grew through and surrounded it.

Pulling weeds is not my favorite task. It's like losing weight. It sucks, but it looks fantastic and rewarding afterwards.

My weight is dwindling. Well, lingering may be a better word. I've been doing the Couch to 5K plan and last night was the biggest run yet. Twenty minute job with no breaks in between. I was fairly doubtful as the workout before had us doing a 5 minute brisk walk in between two 8 minute jogs. For me, that was a stretch, exhausted after the 8 minutes.

I've been running at night, getting the boys fairly set for bed and taking off. Last night, no one was in bed, but I needed to return some movies before we were charged another nights worth and there was threat of thunderstorms.

Into minute 10, it started to sprinkle. Luckily, that's all it did for the full run. And I did it. I did the full 20 minutes. I even picked up speed at the end, pushing out all I had. It was amazing.

To my dread, as I approached my house, Tom was outside. I thought the kids were driving him nuts and he had to come out for some air. Instead, he started clapping. He was cheering me on. He congratulated me with smiles and words and clapping.

This is working. I am running. I am enjoying it. I am losing weight.

And it feels great.

Rain

Smoke Bush

Rose (that I tried to remove three years in a row)

Lupine Leaf

Daisy From Nowhere

Gallardia

Day Lily Leaves

Peony

Oh, the Peony.

A not so flattering name, yet one of the fullest most beautiful flowers.

The single flower is intriguing.

The full bush is breathtaking.

This is one plant that I have wanted for some time.

I just have no idea where to put it.

My neighbor gave me this one and promises me a full bush after the blooms have run their course. My father has old plants from his mother's house from long ago.

Something new, something old is definitely in my future.

Teasel - Me

My backyard neighbor (yes, that one) really dislikes my natural habitat in the back corner of our yard. It's really the last place I consider when graced with a fresh flat of perennials. It has become more of the "oh crap, where should I put this overgrown plant - oh yes, the back corner" corner.

While the boys were out playing tonight, I did some cleanup around the yard, ridding it of overgrown or not-supposed-to-have-grown dried stems from last fall. Ending up in the backyard to attempt to take down a gnome forest of seedlings from out other neighbors tree, I spotted these guys.

Photos!

Who am I to not grab my camera?

Attempts at creative styling didn't result in THE photo, so I continued. Rock. Nah. Grass. Nah. Bunch. Nah. Sky. YEAH!


After I snagged my number one shot (the one at the top, of course), I realized I didn't know what this weed was. It is the number one google result to "prickly plant". This is Teasel. Further surfing resulted in this:

• Historically, domestic Teasel (D. sylvestris) was not particularly popular as a medicine plant, it was however valued in the textile industry. The name Teasel comes from its use for teasing wool; it was cultivated for such a purpose at least as far back as Roman times. It was bred specifically to produce hooked bracts on the dried flower heads for more efficiency in the production of woolens. It fell out of fashion with manufacturers after machines were invented to do the same thing, but the mechanically produced cloth could never match the smooth quality of wool finished with Teasel.

Um...do you all get the irony? How can a woman that works in wool not love a plant that aides with wool fabrication?

Sorry nice backyard neighbor lady...this one is staying!

Signs of Spring

Yeah, every blog is showing their version of first sprouts and signs of spring.

And I am copying them.

Stonecrop above and what I believe to be grape hyacinths or the other little white thingamabob plant I have.

Either way...invigorating, rejuvenating and hopeful.