Pretty Things

Look what I got in the mail from Kimberly. Two skeins of sock yarn - Americana and Totally Turple - and three pixie batts - a mix of wool, silk, alpaca and Angelina called Stormy Seas. They're even prettier in person than in the photos. Thanks, Kimberly!

Remember last week's concrete pour? Dick's been busy this week, laying block for what I thought was a bench. Nope. It's a waterfall. He's going to face the cement blocks with a combination of marble and the rock that's in the sidewalk. The water will bubble out of the top and trickle down the rock face. Gorgeous!

Dick's also been planting new sections of the yard and replacing plants that were killed in last month's freeze. Rather than following the landscape architects plans (how boring!), he's been buying basically anything that's purple and semi-draught resistant. We now have several types of sweet-smelling lavender and this purple cabbage, which is one of my favorites. (I don't know what it is - it just reminds me of cabbage.) We weren't sure what it would look like when it grew up - and were pleased when these pretty little yellow flowers appeared this morning. I think we'll keep this one (and maybe I'll even figure out what it is . . . .) A few other favorites - my iris are coming back strong this year. When Dick tore out the old vegetation in this street-side planter, he was careful to leave the iris bulbs in place. But you never know how they'll do, year to year. Maybe the freeze was good for them.

And these yellow flowers? Weeds. I think they're mustard plants; they grow wild everywhere in So. California. But the flowers are so cheerful, we hate to pull them out. Plus, there's nothing you can do to get rid of them - they just come back bigger and stronger every year.

These were some of the first plants we put in when we moved into the house some 18 or 19 years ago. I love that they look like orchids. They bloom almost year round and don't need a lot of care. My definition of the perfect flower!