Your word for 2012

Dog Looking at and Listening to a Phonograph, "His Master's Voice", The Original RCA Music Puppy Dog Logo Symbol for Advertising
Originally uploaded by Beverly & Pack

Are you going to choose a word for 2012?
Last year I chose "shine" and for 2012 I choose "listen".
This dog is listening intently. My word will remind me to listen to friends and family, and to listen when I pray.
I know God often whispers and I want to hear His whispers.
Molly at birdiebluesky.blogspot.com will be choosing a word too.
I got this quote from her blog:
"For last year's words belong to last year's language. And next year's words await another voice. And to make an end is to make a new beginning." T.S. Eliot
I find it fascinating to read what other people choose as their word; somehow we each find the perfect word for ourself.

Wordless Wednesday

Peacock
Originally uploaded by Arizona Parrot

Well, close to wordless Wednesday. I adore the beauty of peacocks so this photo is a change of pace after Christmas.

Birthday of Jesus

Close-up of baby jesus
Originally uploaded by wrenoud

I looked for an empty manger photo and found this beauty showing the Holy Babe, Jesus.
His light is shining, do you agree?

Amaryllis in Full Splendor

I promised photos of my Razzle Dazzle Amaryllis when it fully opened, and here they are. The name suits the plant as it dazzles and razzles :)
I bought a big fat bulb at a garden center about a month ago, planted it in a small pot, watered it occasionally and it gives back a lot of beauty.
In the second photo is a Christmas cactus that is three years old, and a new miniature rose my stepmom sent to me from Jackson and Perkins. Some of its flowers are white and some are pink; I think it may be two plants in one container.
Merry Christmas to All as the Holy Day draws near.

Pork chops roasted with fresh rosemary

We love to use our cooking stone to cook one inch thick pork chops with plenty of fresh rosemary branches from our garden. We spray the stone with oil, then set the pork chops and rosemary on it, and cook pork chops and rosemary for 45 minutes at 350 degrees F.
If you do not have a cooking stone do not fear! This works well in a glass pyrex oven proof rectangular dish.
Bake potatoes in the oven, starting them 15 minutes early for a total of one hour for the potatoes, and prepare a salad. Soon the feast will begin.
The top photo is of the cooked pork chops and rosemary and the second photo show the meat and rosemary before popping it in the oven.
A big plus is that the rosemary perfumes the entire house. Delicious.

Amaryllis, Razzle Dazzle

Hi Friends,
The first photo I took today of my Razzle Dazzle Amaryllis which will have red and white flowers. It fits the Advent season as it gets ready to open, and I wait impatiently to see its full beauty, just as we await Christmas Day. 
Do you see the pretty Christmas cactus in the background? I included the two bottles of Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Juice to show the height of the Amaryllis, and also just cuz the cider is delicious.
The second two photos are of my all red Amaryllis and were taken last Christmas.
I am thrilled to see that Razzle Dazzle has the buds for FOUR blooms.
When it blooms fully I will post a photo here to share with y'all.

Quiet Christmas Moments

-201 : a very sir tom christmas
Originally uploaded by kitkatherine

This is a busy season, duh!
That is why I savor quiet moments interspersed among the gift buying, wrapping, mailing, decorating and other bustling about.
Things I savor include:
A good book, like ones by Jan Karon.
Tea or coffee. Constant Comment tea has a clove Christmasy scent.
Keep a roll of quarters in your car so your kids can put quarters in the Salvation Army kettles.
Enjoy eating a candy cane.
Enjoy the moment like this guinea pig looks like it is doing.

I am interviewed about my Christmas book and writing life

Morgen Bailey is a wonderful blogger who posted an interview with me today, about my writing life.
She lives in the UK and interviews many writers on her blog, and I am very honored to be on her blog (on Dec. 10, 2011).
She is booked in advance for interviews on her blog, and was kind to squeeze me in since my first book's subject is the timely one of celebrating Christmas.
Here is the link  http://morgenbailey.wordpress.com
Morgen usually interviews authors, but recently also interviewed a publisher and an agent.
I would love if you stop by her blog and leave a comment to say hi!
I am Terra Hangen, for you who are new here. My book's title is "Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts: Stories to Warm Your Heart and Tips to Simplify Your Holiday" and it is available on http://www.amazon.com.

A Spot of Sunshine

Fly me to the ... sun
Originally uploaded by Paco CT

A word spoken pleasantly is a large spot of sunshine on a sad heart. Therefore, "Give others the sunshine, tell Jesus the rest."
L.B. Cowman wrote this in "Streams in the Desert.".
I hope these words sing to your heart, as they do to mine.
Happy Christmas season to all!

Christmas Ornament

Christmas Ornament in HDR
Originally uploaded by FrAnthony

Now this is a gorgeous ornament I would like to have for our tree.
Do you have a theme for your tree?
Ours is eclectic, with lots of angels, birds, other animals, hearts, Santas on mountain bikes and on motorcycles, and shiny ornaments large and small.
Oh, and handmade flour dough ornaments my husband and I made early in our marriage. Flour, salt and water, and painted with the paint you use for painting plastic cars and planes, which makes the ornaments last forever.

Christmas is on its way

back alley christmas
Originally uploaded by Darwin Bell

Wordless Saturday, almost :)

Emily Dickinson's Birthday Dec. 10

I know, I know, today is not Dec. 10 but on that day I will post about being interviewed about my writing life, by a blogger in the UK, so I am moving up this celebration of Emily Dickinson. I am sure Emily won't mind. 


On December 10, we celebrate the birthday of Emily Dickinson, and here is one of her charming poems. Ms. Dickinson was born on December 10, 1830 and lived until May 15, 1886.
Born so long ago yet she seems like a fresh, kindred spirit, as revealed in her writing.
Here is one of her poems I have long admired.

I never saw a moor,
I never saw the sea;
Yet know I how the heather looks,
And what a wave must be.


I never spoke with God,
Nor visited in heaven;
Yet certain am I of the spot
As if the chart were given.

Another short quote from her that I like is "To see the summer sky is poetry, though never in a book it lie - true poems flee.
And a quote of hers that I love as I age:
We turn not older with years,
But newer every day.

Happy birthday early, Emily Dickinson.

Beauty the Horse

beauty on leave
Originally uploaded by paul+photos=moody

I wandered the net looking for some photo to share with you and found this one.
I adore horses, especially the heavy horses or work horses, and I found this photo. Her name is Beauty.
Isn't her coloring perfect, warm chestnut with flaxen mane and tail? She posed very gracefully too.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving 
Originally uploaded by Ed Yourdon
I found this beautiful photo on flickr.
Here is a poem that says it all!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food and love and friends,
For everything thy goodness sends,
For flowers that bloom about our feet,
For tender grass, so fresh so sweet,
For song of bird and hum of bee,
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven we thank thee.
written by Ralph Waldo Emerson

To all my friends worldwide, have a grand day.

Towhee visiting at my house

Eastern Towhee
Originally uploaded by Henry McLin

We had a fun visitor yesterday, eating the black hulled sunflower seeds on our patio. The seeds fell out of our hanging bird feeder, and a Rufus-sided Towhee enjoyed the feast.
I read that they live from British Columbia south to California, Guatemala and also live in Florida.
I think of Towhees as cousins of another of my favorite birds, the Robin.

Book review: All is Grace by Brennan Manning

Book reviews

“All is Grace: A Ragamuffin Memoir” by Brennan Manning.

Brennan Manning is an honest author and a Christian, and I found his book “Ragamuffin Gospel” to be refreshing in insights about his own life and how Jesus loves us, just as we are. Manning’s “All is Grace” will likely be his final book, as his health is failing, and he does not flinch from revealing truth about his life, as he looks back to survey it.

Manning reaffirms that Jesus came for the bedraggled, beat up and burnt out, which is truly Good News, since we could all be better than we are. 
This book summarizes his life, which has been rich and full. Manning was a gifted priest and writer, fell in love with a woman and left his vocation as priest to marry her, and recounts his struggles as a recovering alcoholic. He formed a group of close friends to meet once a year, dubbed “The Notorious Sinners”. You can see his ability to laugh at himself here.
If you haven't read his "Ragamuffin Gospel: Good News for the Bedraggled, Beat Up and Burnt Out" I recommend you read that one too. Written 20 years ago it remains a best seller, and rightly so.
Thank you to the Amazon Vine program which provided this book for me to review.

In this, likely his final book, Manning reminds us that “Yes, Abba is very fond of you.”

Amaryllis, Time to Plant

Amaryllis / Ἀμαρυλλίς
Originally uploaded by pittigliani2005
I bought a nice fat Amaryllis bulb a week ago and planted it, for red and white color in my kitchen in December.
Now is the time to plant these beauties; just find a pot only a tiny bit bigger than the bulb. Ceramic is good because the pot weighs a bit so it will not topple over when the Amaryllis blooms.
I bought a Razzle Dazzle Amaryllis bulb, which will look much like the bloom in this photo.
Anyone else love Amaryllis?
Amaryllis come in a range of colors today, with even a lime green flower, and vibrant solid red, pure white, and salmon.
For photos my husband took of our crimson all red amaryllis, check my list of blog subjects on the right hand side of this blog and click on Amaryllis. 

Oyster feast on the wharf and Seals resting and swimming

This Sunday my husband had a brilliant idea. Let's go to the wharf and have an outdoor picnic there, with the main course being fresh oysters. So we brought water, soda and french bread with us and bought a dozen blue point oysters.
The wharf sells mostly fresh caught local fish but the Blue Point oysters were from the East Coast and were delicious. The last time I ate raw oysters was a couple years ago and now I remember how delish they are. Of course, not every one likes them, I know.

Beauty seen from Mount Tamalpais

My husband took this photo last weekend while half way up Mount Tamalpais, looking toward Bolinas.

Happy Birthday Winnie the Pooh

winnie the pooh & friends
Originally uploaded by weennee
Oops, I posted without a photo and three friends left comments, so I am posting again, with photo this time.
This gang is so cute, they deserve a photo, don't you think?
October 14 is Winnie the Pooh's birthday, with the book of that title published on that date in 1926.
Do you have a favorite Pooh character? I might choose Eeyore, he is so sad and woe be gone, and needs a friend.
Tigger is a cute fireball of energy.
I learned today that Winnie is based on a real Canadian black bear that lived in the London Zoo.
The author, A.A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin, loved to visit Winnie in the zoo and named his own teddy bear Winnie.
The black bear arrived in England in 1919 as the mascot of a brigade from Canada, which was sent to fight in World War I. When the brigade was sent to fight in France, the soldier who adopted Winnie loaned him to the zoo, where Winnie lived until his death in 1934. The solider bought the orphaned Winnie in Winnipeg, Canada, so he gained the name Winnie, as the brigade shipped out to England, and so the bear cub traveled across the sea.

Winnie the Pooh, Happy Birthday Today

October 14 is Winnie the Pooh's birthday, with the book of that title published on that date in 1926.
Do you have a favorite Pooh character? I might choose Eeyore, he is so sad and woe be gone, and needs a friend.
Tigger is a cute fireball of energy.
I learned today that Winnie is based on a real Canadian black bear that lived in the London Zoo.
The author, A.A. Milne's son, Christopher Robin, loved to visit Winnie in the zoo and named his own teddy bear Winnie.
The black bear arrived in Englandin 1919 as the mascot of a brigade from Canada, which was sent to fight in World War I. When the brigade was sent to fight in France, the soldier who adopted Winnie loaned him to the zoo, where Winnie lived until his death in 1934. The solider bought the orphaned Winnie in Winnipeg, Canada as the brigade shipped out to England, and so the bear cub traveled across the sea.

Beautiful Fall Leaves

"Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower."  Albert Camus

"Every leaf speaks bliss to me, fluttering from the autumn tree." Emily Bronte
Photos taken by my husband in Connecticut the fall of 2010.

I apologize but two of your sweet comments went astray when I tried to publish them here! A computer glitch of some sort.

Best Memoir I've Read in a Long Time

Surprised by Oxford by Carolyn Weber.

This good natured and upbeat author’s memoir of an academic year spent studying at Oxford University in England is a high point of my reading this year.
As I read this outstanding memoir I also read a different memoir by a well known restaurant owner and chef, and found that I read the chef's tale of nasty vignettes quickly, longing to escape, and in contrast I carefully and happily read the spiritual memoir "Surprised by Oxford." The chef's tale was riveting and repugnant yet this other story, written by Carolyn Meyer, of her upward climb toward a joyful relationship with God and church members made my days brighter as I read it.

Wow! The author shares her unexpected journey toward becoming a Christian while what she was seeking at Oxford was a more comfortable year of academic learning. Weber meets many people, some of them Christians, who all play a part in her transformation. The most intriguing of these people she calls TDH in her memoir, which stands for Tall, Dark and Handsome.

Read this book to find out what the delightful “fish walk” in Oxford is.

Weber includes snippets of poetry and Scripture which I added to my list of favorite quotations.

One quote she includes here that is new to me that I love is by Father Pierre Teilhard de Chardin. “I pray, O master, that the flames of hell may not touch me or any of those whom I love. And even that they may never touch anyone. (And I know, my God, that you will forgive this bold prayer).”

Weber’s friend Rachel explained to her that she chose her home church because the gospel was taught with all due respect and it was apparent that the congregation was having fun. Those are two criteria I use myself.

Reading this memoir is like inhaling a fresh breeze; I inhaled it deeply and felt it is cleansing.
Thank you to Booksneeze for provide this book to review.

Sadie Mae travels the USA

Yes, Sadie Mae, the Traveling Friendship Bag, is traveling across the USA and having adventures galore. As you can see from the photo she is right purty.
Janelle at sweetbeecottage.blogspot.com is allowing me to use the photo she used on her blog, so you can see Sadie Mae.

While here in California with me, she went on a walk along the Pacific Ocean and saw waves crashing on shore, pelicans flying along the coast, sea otters floating on their backs in the kelp beds and a statue of a surfer that looks out toward Hawaii.
She has been in Florida, Michigan, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Ohio and California thus far, and has been sight seeing in more states than many people have, I am sure. I read on one blog that Sadie was dangerously close to an alligator!
The blog friend who started this Sadie Mae fun is Cindy at  rick-rackandgingham.blogspot.com

new review of Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts

Susanne Lakin posted this insightful review of my book on Amazon, and I want to share it with you here. Susanne writes Christian fairy tales / fantasy under the name C.S. Lakin.
Here is the review of "Scrapbook of Christmas Firsts" she wrote and published on Amazon today.

"This delightful, creative gift book is chock full of personal memories, thoughts about Christmas, recipes, anecdotes, traditions, and Scripture. Some of the simple stories and verses brought tears to my eyes and warmed my heart. I read this book in August--as far from the Christmas holiday as could be, yet I found it worked a wonderful magic in my heart, centering me in reminder that the spirit of Christ is something we need to consider and let live in us each day of the year.

This is a terrific book to give as a gift to just about anyone. The scrapbook theme and layout makes it perfect for picking up and reading just a few pages at a time. Every home should have a copy sitting out on their coffee table year-round!"

This and That at our house

Originally uploaded by lauren michell
This and That

Some odds and ends from what’s going on at my house.
I am writing a book full of mom tips – soon to be published, I hope. More later when I have the contract in my hot little hands.

The marauding squirrel has returned, sorry to report. He (she?) dug up a pepper plant from our garden and it looked pretty dead, but I replanted it and watered it. The squirrel again dug up the pepper plant and left it a foot away in the dirt. Tis truly dead this time.

I feel like a pioneer woman when I harvest potatoes from our garden. This final batch of Yellow Finn organic heirloom potatoes was grown in a five gallon pail, in the “pail method” which I describe in an earlier post. My husband grilled steak outside and I dug up some taters. These are good boiled or thick sliced and cooked in olive oil.

My hubby and I watched a movie “The Conspirator” and found it fascinating, as Mary Surratt is on trial in a military court for involvement in the assassination of President Lincoln. Will she hang? I won’t say here, but wow, her lawyer was a brave man to defend her.

Rain, God and People, a Poem

Rain drop
Originally uploaded by play4smee

Dear Friends Around the World, I have been thinking about Hurricane Irene and all the flooding going on now in areas including Vermont, and hoping all of you are well.
Here is a poem about the gentler side of rain that makes my soul sing; we gardeners know how precious rain is, in the right amounts and time, and I love the last stanza.
Terra 
I Saw God Wash the World

I saw God wash the world last night
With his sweet showers on high,
And then, when morning came, I saw
Him hang it up to dry.

He washed each tiny blade of grass
And every trembling tree;
He flung his showers against the hill,
And swept the billowing sea.

The white rose is a cleaner white,
The red rose is more red,
Since God washed every fragrant face
And put them all to bed.

There’s not a bird; there’s not a bee
That wings along the way
But is a cleaner bird and bee
Than it was yesterday.

I saw God wash the world last night,
Ah, would He had washed me
As clean of all my dust and dirt
As that old white birch tree.

By William L. Stidger

Ah, my second harvest of the potatoes produced by one small seed potato.

There are eleven little beauties here, from one seed potato that I planted in the ground. The seed potatoes I bought are Yellow Finn heirloom organic. The first meal I fixed with them I sliced them thickly, chopped one clove of garlic, and sauteed them in olive oil. Delicioso, I must say.
I still have the 3 plants to harvest that I planted in the five gallon pail.
Here is a nice quote:
For flowers that bloom about our feet;
For tender grass, so fresh, so sweet;
For song of bird, and hum of bee;
For all things fair we hear or see,
Father in heaven, we thank Thee!
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
I am so jazzed about growing potatoes that I will soon plant a fall crop, which we can do here in zone 8.

Vibrant Orange and Red Cannas

A neighbor offered my husband and I some cannas that he was digging up and dividing and we said yes please. This is the first time we have grown cannas, and it is their third year here at our house.

The only sunny spot we could find was along our alley, next to the neighbor's ice plant. The cannas he gave us have flowers on four foot spikes, with some plants' flowers brilliant orange and other's bright red. Cannas are not frost hardy but do fine in my zone 8 garden. If you live in zones 1 to 3 you need to lift and store the roots over winter. Cannas prefer moist soil but never waterlogged, and always well drained. They do well in a container and are to be enjoyed in the garden as they are not great cut flowers.

 These plants have a tropic flair to them, and a few months ago for variety I bought two Lucifer rhizomes with flowers that are red edged with yellow, so I look to see them bloom in future. Lucifer is a small canna that grows to 30 inches tall.  Most cannas, and all the rest of ours, grow 3 to 6 feet tall. Our cannas bloom all of June, July and August.

Finding Money

Eagles on black background
Originally uploaded by portableantiquities
Do you check the websites that list money that is due to people? This is unclaimed money and could be money owed to you by anyone or any government entity or private company or bank.


So far, I haven't found any money owed to me, but we live in hope, she said, smiling.


Two websites that seem official, and that Kim Komando the computer expert at komando.com wrote about are:

unclaimed.org

missingmoney.com


These are for people living in the USA and in parts of Canada. For my blog friends living elsewhere you may find sites for your country. It helps if your name is a bit unusual, like Dame Edna, rather than Mary Smith. Good luck hunting for treasure and let me know if you find some money please.

Pancho the Terrified Parrot

Parrot on Blue Background
Originally uploaded by richiebits

My blog friend, Elena at her My Quest blog has a charming post about her parrot and about fear and letting go. Elena was inspired to write her post about Pancho when she heard him shrieking in terror. She includes some charming sketches too.
http://elena-myquest.blogspot.com/2011/07/let-go.html
I told Elena that interestingly, yesterday I got a phone call from the woman who is matching me up as  a volunteer visitor with a homebound senior citizen, for me to visit and to cheer her up. The first question to me was "are you allergic to birds?". I said "no", and it turns out the lady has a parrot.
The parrot loves to chatter when visitors come over.
So it is a small world of parrots and of letting go. I think you will like Elena's parrot post.

Dark Chocolate, Berries and Nuts

20070214 1510 hours candy
Originally uploaded by liltree

On her blog post of 2/9/11 my blog friend in Canada at "Falling off a high heeled life" mentioned her favorite super healthy foods: shellfish, strawberries and sweet potatoes. Please visit her to read her post at http://attitudeivlife.blogspot.com

I buy assorted nuts in the shell at Whole Foods for my husband and I. We also like shelled raw almonds and salted nuts in cans and we usually have nuts instead of sweets for a snack.

Prevention Magazine wrote about how Dove dark chocolate is healthy, so that is on my list too, one or two of those little squares. I have read that dark chocolate, red wine and coffee all have health benefits, but do your own research on this!

Cottage cheese with chives (or pineapple) has calcium and tastes delish.

Oh, and I love berries in addition to strawberries, like raspberries, blackberries and blueberries, and grow blackberries and blueberries so I know they are pesticide free. Our blackberry patch is so large that we let the birds eat most of the berries. We enjoy when the berries have their white flowers and are visited by bees, who hum as they work and when the berries are ready we like to go out in the morning and pick berries to have with cereal.

Because all berries are so packed with health benefits I go ahead and buy them, even if they are a little pricey. I buy raspberries and eat them right out of the container.

Popcorn with our air popped popcorn maker is a fun and healthy snack, lacks the weird chemicals of many of the microwaved popcorns, and its cost is very low.

What are your favorite healthy and delicious foods?

Bastille Day Fireworks

Bastille Day Fireworks
Originally uploaded by billerickson

Happy Bastille Day to everyone in France and especially to my blog friends who live in France.
My husband and I were there to celebrate Bastille Day in Paris, years ago.

Laughing and Books

Laughing Star
Originally uploaded by cindy47452
Hi friends.

There is a lot of sadness and worry in our world and as an antidote to that I adore reading books that are funny or make me smile. Do you too?

I think funny books are rare and that humor is difficult to write, and of course, we each have a unique sense of what is funny. I might think something is hilarious and you might have an opposite reaction.

I list here a few books that have given me some chuckles or smiles, and please add your own suggestions for funny books in a comment here.


A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.


The Boat Who wouldn't Float by Farley Mowat and his The Dog Who wouldn't Be.


Three Men in a Boat: Not to Mention the Dog by Jerome K. Jerome (written about 1896)


Laughing Matters: Learning to Laugh When Life Stinks by Phil Callaway.


Years ago I read P.G. Wodehouse, and I think I may read one of his books again.


Round Ireland with a Fridge. Tony Hawks. Hitchhikes around Ireland with a refrigerator, as the result of a bet, with many stops in pubs. So funny I bought his A Piano in the Pyrenees, which I didn't read yet.


For books that make me cry and laugh, consider Barbara Johnson. She was a Christian motivational speaker and great humorist, who deals with tragedy in her life including death of a child, serious car accident, estrangement from an adult child and more, and yet, loves to share laughter. Her book titles are what grabbed me, and I bought five of them, including Plant a Geranium in Your Cranium; Splashes of Joy in the Cesspools of Life; and Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death.


I look forward to hearing about new books for me to buy that will give me a chuckle so give me your ideas here please.

Let Freedom Ring

Flag
Originally uploaded by yorgak

Happy 4th of July to all, and happy weekend to all my blog friends around the world.
Hey, yesterday I did something neat to help our soldiers who protect us.
At the spa where I exercise is a big bin maintained by the Blue Star Moms (a national group), and they collect items for care packages for our soldiers. I went to a nearby drug store and filled a bag with things for the soldiers and dropped it off.
Thank you for all who have served and who serve today in our armed forces.

Sunflowers and Is it crazy to garden in the rain?

Sunflowers and poetry
Originally uploaded by jo-h

I want to confess since they say tis good for the soul. Yesterday we had unexpected steady rain here, and I simply needed/wanted to get out and cut back ivy that was growing into our flower beds.
So I put on my rainproof hooded Goretex jacket and trimmed ivy in the rain. It was in our back yard, so no one could see me which is probably for the best.
I don't have a photo of me gardening in the rain so found this pretty photo on Flickr to share.
Have any of you put on rain gear and gardened in the rain? I like to think it is not crazy but just passionate dedication. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.

More Canterbury Bells from my garden

I wanted to show you that this Canterbury Bells plant is giving prodigious numbers of belled flowers, from a tiny and hopeful beginning in a four inch pot. It amazingly survived a harsh attack, just before the flowers opened, as the stem was half way broken through. It looked like someone or something heavy stomped it, a raccoon? Anyway it survived the harsh attack and is flourishing.
Also I picked a bouquet for our kitchen table and took a photo of it also. Enjoy.
A few of you, my blog friends, say your climate won't allow Canterbury Bells, and I share that frustration when I see your own photos of your gardens with peonies and lilacs and forsythia, garden friends from my childhood in Wisconsin. I haven't grown those here in California, so must get by with enjoying your blog photos and with dreaming.