Through the lens, blurrily!

It's the front patio flowers bursting into bloom. That time of year. First, the pink roses.

And my favorite, the firecracker rose.

And the pinwheel.

Wait a minute . . . how did that get in here?

Oh, yeah, pansies. That's what I meant.

A mix of geraniums and marigolds.

The marigolds of peace. (Oh, realllllyyy, Catalyst!)

The ever-present Vinca.

Now, I think you can see what I mean. Some of these pictures are a little blurry. Had nothing to do with me holding the camera in one hand and my drink in the other. Just inexperience with this damned camera. One of these days, I'm gonna read the manual. If I can find it.

Cinco de Meowww!

Chalupas!!!

I was down in Phoenix today to attend an Arizona Diamondbacks game with Steve. The D-backs took on and handily dispatched the New York Mets by a score of 10 to 4.

And as we left the stadium, every attendee was given a small paper coupon like this:
To those of you not familiar with that delicacy, it is a Chalupa. Every time the Diamondbacks score 8 or more runs in a home game, everyone in the stadium gets a coupon for a free Chalupa at any Taco Bell in the state.

I am happy to say that I have claimed several of these coupons on the occasion of games I have attended. The Chalupas are good and they usually represent a Diamondbacks victory.

Our team is now 21 and 9 for the year with the best record in the Major Leagues by nearly 100 points. Brandon Webb, who got the win today, is the top pitcher in the game with a 7 and 0 start. If you want to read more about the game and today's star - Augie Ojeda - go here.

Slouching into May Day

Ah, May Day!

A day of revolution.

Of parades.

Of spring!

And of spring flowers!

Unfortunately, in Denver, Colorado, the tulips were coated with snow today as a storm moved across the state.

(Pictures courtesy . . . oh, o.k., they were swiped . . . from the KUSA-TV web site. Thanks guys.)

Out come the plants!

As the BRD says every 12 months at about this time: "This is my favorite time of the year. Greening up the patio."

She was out for 3 hours before we were aware of it this morning, planting, bringing big plants out of their winter quarters in her sun porch, watering. By the time I noticed it, she was back in her recliner, panting. So, what has she done? Well . . .

The hibiscus plants below are ours and they're showing the signs of their winter neglect. But as they were dry, they were a lot easier to bring out of the house. And with some watering, they'll soon be putting out daily red blossoms.

One of the guardians of the patio was purchased a few years ago in Mexico. He weighs a "ton".

In case he's not enough to scare away pests, there's a ferocious though colorful gila monster close at hand.

He and the turtle are pals.

While they guard our entrance, Saint Francis is nestled among the plants guarding the BRD's.

Right now. It's mostly green. But a lot more color will come in the days ahead. I'll keep you posted.

A new day - a new year

The BRD took me (the birthday boy), SWMBO and the Normster out for dinner last night. Each of the couples shared a pound of mussels in a Dijon and Chardonnay sauce.

Yum!

Then I had a New York strip steak and a baked potato.

The Normster and the gals all were more sensible - they had fish.

Oh, and as I told Mike over at his blog, I decided to pay tribute to him. I had several of these:

Yeah. That's a gin and tonic. Mike's favorite drink back before he became a one-kidney superstar. He does not seem to appreciate my nod to him, though. He's not only quit drinking alcohol he has kicked the cigarette habit as well. I dropped cigarettes back in 1991 when we returned from Mexico and confronted the high price of tobacco.

So, in all seriousness, I say congratulations, Mike. Eventually you will not miss either of these bad habits and you'll feel a heck of a lot better.

In the meantime, to another blogger pal . . . Tombo who likes to cook and photograph his dishes, I'll say "Look at those pictures above, Tombo, and eat your heart out!!!"

For the sake of honesty: I swiped all those pictures off the Internet but they are a good representation of what was on our table.

Flowering

Neither I nor SWMBO can remember what these things are called. They look like tiny roses so this year we're calling it the rosette plant. But, with the exception of the Vinca, it's usually the first thing that shows blossoms in our front garden. And it just seems to explode from nothing to fully covered with blossoms overnight.

It makes old sunny face (on the left) smile a bit.