Talking

After breakfast this morning Georgia and I practiced saying some words. Here she is... drum roll please...

Halo

Dear Georgia,

You have been the sweetest person to hang out with lately. I have enjoyed running through sprinklers with you, going down slides, hunting for tennis shoes, pushing strollers, popping bubbles, eating blueberries and apples with peanut butter and watching Elmo with you. Our recent trips to the zoo have been very fun as well, but recounting the gorilla story is almost just as fun! You are really a wonderful daughter and I am so happy to be your mother. Kisses you angel!

Mother Nature Responds

Well, I have told you now about our neighbor, Mother Nature. Saturday I started feeling pretty guilty about snatching the Iris and so I decided to give her a Mother's Day gift to appease my conscience. It wasn't 5 minutes after I gave her the gift that she asked if I would like any plants from her yard. She mentioned the Irises that I admire so much. I politely declined but she insisted that I have something. So, reluctantly (ok thrilled to the bone might be a better adjective) I accepted her offer. I figured she would give me one or two irises, but instead she gave me what I'd like to call a bushel (see photo). Then on top of all of that she handed me a peony in a pot and told me to plant it soon. Can you believe it!?! What a kind and generous woman. I have since planted the irises by a tree outside (see photo) and am trying to decide where exactly to plant the peony.

Midnight Flower Snatcher

It is the month of MAY!!! My favorite month of the year. It is when roses bloom, the air is warm (not hot) and the sky is clear blue. I love this month! And perhaps it stirs within me a slightly rebel spirit because, well, I have a confession to make. Last night, in the cover of darkness, I walked down the street with my pruners and snatched a few flowers from some blossoming gardens. Yes, it is rather criminal of me, but I don't think anyone will notice. My first snatch was 2 peonies that grow in an abandoned corner by someone's garage. There are at least 30-40 blooms in that peony patch and for the past 4 years I have watched them bloom, shine and fade wishing I could saveur them up close. It doesn't seem that anyone ever does anything with them, and so they were just crying out to be admired and appreciated. Then, after plucking the peonies I quickly snipped one delicate light blue iris from the garden of my neighbor who I affectionately call Mother Nature. She has tons (and when I say tons I mean around 400-500) Irises growing right along the street. In addition to these beauties she has countless azaleas, roses, hydrangeas, fig trees, magnolia trees, mint, clematis, easter lilies, redbuds, bouganvillia, ivy, gardenias, etc., etc, etc, ad. infinitum growing all around her house. I am hoping that she will not notice either, although perhaps since she loves flowers so much she will indeed notice. Rodolfo and I were joking that because she is so highly attuned to her flowers that she will be able to deduce from the snip that it occured last night at 9:30 PM with felco pruners from the hand of another gardner. Oh I hope not! If she figures it out I will offer her some clippings from my rose bushes. Above is a picture of these flowers along with some red roses from our garden here in the backyard. Now, not only myself but you too can admire the beauty of these blooms. Below is a video of Gigi smelling these flowers. Hooray for May!