Before and After pictures

All alone and waiting to be planted, my beautiful red azalea that is a gift from my step daughter Kelly, for Mother's day (a tad early, but wonderful, like Kelly):

Finally in the ground between the Blessed Mother and the Gingko Biloba tree (rats, you can't see the tree here) that my thoughtful son gave me last year (for Mother's day and that I have fussed over, fearful it might die because it is so special) that is now surrounded by the pink flowers.

A "Before" picture of only a few pink flowers:

An "After" picture of the pink flowers "doing their thing" (now the Gingko Biloba tree is in the middle but it's leaves are just getting started so you can hardly see it!):

This is a kind of "Before" picture of the flax barely blooming (Before):

Things are really looking good in our backyard...I am especially happy that those green fern-like things DID turn out to be flowers. You may be able to see my personal gardener in the back there, planting the red azalea...his rates are pretty reasonable, a nice morning song sung or some home-made sour cream pound cake!

When I planted the flax (grown from seeds) last year, all I got were these ferny looking things, but this year they finally bloomed and what a sight! Hopefully they are doing honor to Jesus' mother as her favorite color (After)...

Okay, Michael says I need to have one joke on other days as well (as if my own goofiness isn't enough!), so here it is:

The Hamster and the Frog

A mangy looking guy walks into a very classy restaurant and orders a steak. The waitress says: "I'm sorry, but I don't think you can pay for your meal." The guy admits, "You're right. I don't have any money, but if I show you something you haven't seen before, will you give me my supper?"

The christian waitress, both curious and compassionate, says, "Only if what you show me isn't risque." "Deal!" says the guy and reaches into his coat pocket and pulls out a hamster. He puts the hamster on the ground and it runs across the room, directly to a piano. The hamster then proceeds to climb up the piano, and starts playing Gershwin songs.

The waitress says, "You're right. I've never seen anything like that before. That hamster is truly good on the piano." The guy sits back and enjoys a fine steak supper with all the trimmings. Shortly thereafter, he asks the waitress, "Can I have a piece of that fine blueberry pie I see on the dessert cart over there?" "Only if you got another miracle up your sleeve", says the waitress. The guy reaches into his coat again and pulls out a frog. He puts the frog on the table, and the frog starts to sing up a storm!

A stranger from a nearby table runs over to the guy and offers him $300 for the frog. The guy says "It's a deal." He takes the three hundred and gives the stranger the frog. The stranger runs out of the restaurant with dollar signs in his eyes and a big smile on his face.

The waitress says to the guy "Are you some kind of nut? You sold a singing frog for $300? It must have been worth millions!"

"No", says the guy. "The hamster is also a ventriloquist."

~~~Thank you Lord for the blessing of your wonderful world with blue flax, pink flowers and red azaleas.