The World's Best Cat

Meet Zippo...isn't he beautiful? Besides that, he is friendly, sweet, and cuddly.

Garden o'plenty

Broccoli, eggplant, yellow tomatoes, cherry tomatoes

Plants in my butterfly garden & patio area

The patio - a great spot for morning coffee, an evening meal, or a late evening glass of wine with a loved one; Black-eyed Susan, Ecinachea, some sort of phlox (?)

More photos of God's handiwork

Petunias that Phil gave me for Mother's Day; New Guinea Impatiens; tomato plants growing tall in the vegetable garden.

Taste of Chicago

Enjoyed a gorgeous summer day at Taste of Chicago yesterday with Brian and the boys. We drove into the city and parked at the Howard St. train station; boarded the "el" (that's Chicago-speak for the "elevated" train) and rode to State St., then walked a few blocks to The Taste which runs along Congress St. They block off the entire street for the 10 days of this fest. Here's Brian and I in front of Buckingham Fountain.

Nature's Bounty

There's nothing like walking out your front door and picking the fruits of your labor. Today I was able to harvest some cilantro for a bean and veggie salad, fresh greens, and a few strawberries from the plants I have growing in front of the house. A sun-warmed strawberry fresh from the vine and plopped into your mouth shouts with a burst of summer. Supermarket strawberries can't compare.

Think Orange!

For the first time, and for whatever reason, this year I went with some orange flowers. I normally don't even like the color orange! But when I saw this hanging basket of beautiful orange begonias, the color spoke to me. (Photo 1)

I then went with orange impatiens for the patio. They are still smallish and not completely filled out in the pot, but by August they will be lush and full. I also snapped these photos when it was raining outside. (Photo 2)

I found this orange flowering plant at Home Depot, but can't remember the name of it. It looks lovely in my butterfly garden. (Photo 3)