Random thoughts.......by C. Johnson

It's a wonderful Spring we're having isn't it? Makes you want to buy a pretty new purse and go for a jaunt in the breeze. I just wanted to share a little nature with you and perhaps an anecdote or two.

Here is the agave in our front yard. Aren't the blooms so pretty? I have never had much of an appreciation for the foliage of the native Southwest, but I'm starting to. There are five blooms on this cute little thing. I think that the amount of rain and/or watering determines how many you get. Last year, we had just moved in, and it barely had one.

The Yucca. Why is it called a yucca? It isn't yucky. The fronds are little hard to trim. I have to use a saw. If you look at the base of it just to the left, a baby yucca is growing outside of it. How cute.

At the bottom is a gardenia I planted in the back yard in a hole that my Beloved Beagle Berkeley kept digging. He wouldn't leave it alone no matter how many times I filled it back up and scolded him, so I made use of his hard work in trying to dig his way to China. The top is a dwarf orange tree that Lee planted in the backyard. We won't have fruit for another couple of years, but we are at least able to keep these things alive. Now, don't worry, in the midst of all this desert rock is a lawn in the back yard. I have to have some grass, I'm from the Great Northwest for crying out loud!

I've saved the best for last. This is my next door neighbor's car. (Shhh, she doesn't know I took a picture) Notice the bird doody on the side just underneath the mirror. This is the handiwork of a particulary vain little bird that enjoys "flirting" with his or herself at any given point in the day. I see this bird every morning when I walk Mark to the bus. The bird stands in front of the mirror and then starts fluttering his wings at its own image, like its the most beautiful thing it will ever see. I tried to get a picture of the bird, but everytime I got close it would fly onto the roof. As soon as I walked away, it perched itself right in front of the mirror again. Oh the self esteem! I'm so very glad I park my car in the garage.