Loving: blooms

When I returned from vacation everything was dry, dry, dry, which is very unusual for Iowa. Springs are very rainy here (especially last year when it flooded badly), but not this year. Still, some of my blooms were hanging on for dear life, including a rose bush that has not bloomed once since we moved here. It's usually attacked by a crazy vine, and then it gets too prickly for me to try to peel it off.

But not anymore. That sucker exploded in pink blooms. Not the tight, sturdy blooms you're used to getting in a bouquet. But delicate petals that smell like a grandma's floral perfume.



And the zinnia I planted on the front porch grew like a beanstalk into this beauty.



I also discovered a vendor at the farmers market who sells these wonderful little succulents and cacti. I see them all over blogs now, and I just have to buy one every time I see them.



I thought maybe if I started with a little aloe vera I could watch it grow into a big one.


Don't tell Mike, but I'm going to have my whole little kitchen window filled with them.