Appreciation

 Last weekend, we got up early and walked the beach.  We were looking for turtle tracks, but it was also an excuse to get out and see the ocean in the nice morning light.  It's good to remind ourselves how lucky we are to live so close to the beach.

On our way out, we caught this scene in an alley way.

Can you count them all?  If you are only up to 9, keep looking.  This whole area has a huge feral cat problem, but luckily our neighborhood has avoided it.  Caretta tries to be feral, but she always needs to come back inside to use the potty.

Our front flower bed is looking so good -- we added a purple grass and transplanted some daisies and zinnias to fill it out.  Notice our pansies are still hanging in there--we'll keep them until the heat finally gets to them or the zinnias start to take over.  You can't see it in this photo, but one of our dahlias is the size of a small child.  About 12-15 came back from the tubers we dug up in the fall, and they are covered in buds.  We love this garden!

And Happy Mother's Day!  Today we give thanks for the love and support from our moms, who we love dearly and wish we could be with them to celebrate.  No pancakes in bed, but here are a few of our flowers blooming just in time for you:

Hydrangea

First bloom from our 3-foot-tall dahlia

We also made homemade strawberry shortcake, which got us both reminiscing about Bisquick biscuits. Can't say it was all good (why were they so dry?), but great memories nonetheless.

 Thank you, Mom, for being who you are and helping us become who we are.  We love you!!!!