Hope Springs Eternal

 . . . which might have been true for Mr. Alexander Pope, but up here in the Frigid North, Spring is far off, much less eternal, more like a cruel joke of the fates.

(Yes, I realize I'm completely taking his poem out of context.  I'm choosing to call it artistic license.)

So, I make do the best I can, which is to bring as much greenery indoors during the long winter as is physically possible.  (I'm doing better this year than last.  Last year I had so many hanging baskets that visitors were a bit afraid of being attacked by overhead plant life.)

February and March are the worst months of winter, because during those months my family is either 1) enjoying the balmy temperatures of Hawaii or 2) enjoying the balmy Spring temperatures of the Sunny South.

Thankfully during these months my beloved orchids put on their best show and bloom their little hearts out for me.  Phalaenopsis in particular stay in bloom for quite awhile, so they make excellent anti-depressants with few side affects other than a binge craving to go out and buy yet more Phals.

I've got five blooming right now (I forgot to get a picture of the two purples and a miniature white Phal), and another one on the way.  I can't remember which color it is either, so it's a bit like finding out if you're having a boy or a girl, minus all the expense and mind-numbing pain.

Hmmmm, I didn't get a picture of my Cattleya either, did I?  I think that one might start blooming in a month or so too . . . . must go check . . . .

Goodies Galore!

Yesterday was a little rough for me, because I had another migraine. Still, considering my lack of mental concentration (which was no great loss, I assure you!), the day went fairly well.

We found a new playground nearby, which the kids really like to go to. Now we have two playgrounds within close walking distance, so the kids don't get too bored at home.

Also, my dear friend Elise and her two boys drove down from Wisconsin to spend a couple of hours with us. Peter had so much fun playing with his buddy Henry. (Hmmm, I just noticed Henry's not in any of the photos I took. He really was there!)

I got some wonderful surprises in the mail this week, too! I just love getting stuff in the mail!

Andy orders a lot of stuff that he re-sells on Ebay, so there are usually four or five large packages on my porch every day. I always feel a bit of smugness when one of the packages is for me (hee hee, evil laugh!).

I got the nicest package from Cat's Fiber Adventures for commenting on her 500th post. (See, it does pay to leave comments!) She gave me some beautiful tweedy lace weight yarn (which I believe I'll use to knit one of the patterns from Victorian Lace Today), along with a bunch of other goodies like cards and books. Also included was a beautiful shawl pattern that she wrote herself. What a talented lady! (She's got some absolutely gorgeous patterns, so you should check them out.) Thanks so much, Mary!

I seem to be winning things left and right, because my good blogger friend Danielle sent me some beautiful hand-made stitch markers for her blogiversary contest. This is the first time she made stitch markers, and aren't they good? I can't believe how many she sent me, too! I think it must be like 15! (They'll really come in handy when I get the gumption up to finish the Bee Fields Shawl). I really like the colors, because I've been craving citrus fruits lately! (Sorry, Danielle for stealing your photo. I took a great picture of the stitch markers, but I can't find where I saved it on the computer, *doh*!)

Then, I got another goody package from the very sweet Alisha. I sent her some stitch markers for winning my blogiversary contest, and lo-and-behold, she sent me some right back, lol! I suddenly have gone from five stitch markers to about twenty!

My final treat was from my Cattleya Orchid, the only survivor of my orchid collection (okay, about five orchids.) My Oma and Opa had a greenhouse full of orchids when I was growing up, so I have a deep-seated love of orchids. Unfortunately, I don't quite seem to have the knack of keeping them alive *sigh*. I can't figure out what I'm doing right with this one, but it's the second time it's bloomed for me (twice in the same year!), without my killing it! Ohhhh, the smell from the flowers is simply divine! Let's keep our fingers crossed that it won't kick the bucket after this blooming season!