Summer joys

I love flowers, whether they're cultivated or growing in the wild. At the beginning of this year, I moved in with my mom to save money and to get my life on a different track. My mom inherited the house a couple of years ago, but throughout my childhood, I spent many hours there visiting with relatives. I never quite realized, until this spring, how many gorgeous plants grow there. Azalea season is huge in our area, and we had quite the variety this spring! In late summer, the gardenias will bloom profusely, and we will cut the flowers and set them in shallow bowls of water in the house. In the meantime, though, I want to share some of the lovelies that adorn the yard right now.





Purple clematis behind the mailbox, and clematis bud. (The vine won't grab the plastic mailbox, so we installed an iron trellis.)







I have no idea what these yellow beauties are called, but they line one side of the house, and I love seeing them when I pull into the driveway.



Magenta clematis. Technically this is the neighbor's vine, but it grows on our mutual fence. These are democratic clematis. Flowers to the people! :P







Pink clematis by the front porch. These are on a trellis, too, but the leaves are so thick that you can't really see it.



These were a gift from one of my mom's customers. I planted them in the front yard flowerbed, and I really, really hope they don't succumb to my black thumb.



I suppose that people with no imagination would call this flower a weed and pull it out of the ground. Good thing the little plant is growing in my yard.



Another "weed". As a little girl, I called them "bee flowers" because the bumblebees seem to love them. They smell sweet and lend a bit of interest to an otherwise homogeneously green lawn.



Lastly, a whimsically beautiful dandelion puff.

So there you have it, some of the beauty of the front lawn. I love pulling into the driveway (or up to the curb) and seeing all the flowers. The back yard is lush and green...





... and we can see the cows when they're out to pasture. Believe it or not, I don't live in a rural area. There are family farms tucked away here and there, and I merely happen to live right next to one. It's just one more of my summer joys.