NATIVE FLOWERS!!!!!!!

Wild Azalea

Giant Swallowtail Butterfly on Left Bloom

I have a "Wild Azalea" in my back that is blooming now. You will note in the top picture that the blooms actually look a lot like a honeysuckle bloom, but they are pink. Honeysuckle is also a vine and this is a plant. This is what my "Master Gardener Friend" calls a "Native Plant". Native plants are naturally occurring plants that some even call weeds. We have a wide variety of wild flowers in Louisiana since this is considered an almost sub-tropic climate. Pappaw Conville found this and brought it to me a number of years ago. It has done quite well and with little or no attention. The azaleas that you buy at the nursery are prone to disease and require quite a bit of attention including spraying and feeding. I made a decision some time ago that I would not plant anymore azaleas. I prefer more low maintenance plants and do not want to spend a lot of time spraying and fighting bugs and disease.

I am slowly packing up my kitchen for the big remodel. It is amazing what gets stuck in drawers and cabinets over the years. I pride myself in keeping things culled to that which I use, but somehow some of the pots, pans, dishes, etc. have gotten a little out of hand. The most disturbing thing is the keys that you come across that you have no idea what they go to. My personal philosophy is that if I don't know what it goes to and have not used it in the last 24 years, then I probably do not need it.

We ran 5 miles this AM in the heat and humidity. The acclimation period of adjusting to the heat and humidity is tough! The adjustment curve can be steep and the pace definitely slows down. A long hot summer of profuse sweating is just around the corner!