Day 100. Time for flowers!

Most years, I've planted annuals too early.  I rush ahead, and then it turns cold again.  Why do the stores sell them if we shouldn't plant them?  This is what I wonder!  Last year, I listened to two, little old men (one was the cashier and the other was bagging my groceries) debate right in front of me, how I was making a mistake by buying Gerber Daisies too early in the spring.  Well, as it turned out, they were right!  Oh well.

I've heard that AFTER Mother's Day, is a safe bet.  It makes sense.  That's when I started loving flowers anyway.  I didn't used to care so much for flowers.  I thought they were a waste of time and money.  That was barring, of course, the occasional bouquet my husband would bring home, and who could EVER resist the sweet, proud expression of a little boy as he hands his mommy a freshly pulled dandelion!  But aside from those exceptions, flowers just don't last.  You enjoy them for a moment, then they sadly wither away.

But a few years ago, some dear friends of ours surprised me on Mother's Day weekend by delivering three outdoor planters, filled with pretty, little flowers.  My babies were all very small, and I wasn't having the best "mommy day."  The unexpected show of appreciation brought joyful tears to my eyes!  I did my best to take care of those three pots of color all summer long.  To my surprise, I kept them alive!  Ever since, I've had a new appreciation for this beautiful part of nature God created for us to enjoy.  I love to spontaneously buy a bunch at the grocery store, to decorate our kitchen table.

My sweet husband toils away in our yard, mowing often, trimming shrubs and bushes, pulling out weeds.  I don't do the hard work.  I just plant the pretty flowers.  And when my rose bushes bloom, he will bring in a clipping now and again after coming home from work, place it in a thin vase, put it in the kitchen window, and watch me smile.  Life is good.

HOWEVER, just because I enjoy them, does NOT necessarily mean I can keep them alive!  I've found that the heartier they are, the better off I'll be.  These Geraniums have been a winner for me in the past, so I go with what works!  :)