Biennials force a gardener to have patience--two years before it dawns on them to bloom, and it looks as if at least as many plants are choosing to sleep for another year "Just 'cause."

Family pic from my parent's wedding album. I recognize two aunts and my grandmother. Was this typical of early 1950's Wisconsin? Did the men not dance? No one left to ask :-(

Well I need to do two today. First the blue of an Alaskan iceberg..... Then I want to share this other one. So these are the Santa's Helpers that were in the windows of a downtown store when I was a child, back in the 1950's. They all had movements. I loved going downtown every Christmas with my mom to look at the windows dressed for Christmas. At some point, maybe in the '70's, they stopped doing that. Of course it was around the time that almost all of the department stores closed their downtown locations having moved to the suburbs. The Helpers were saved by someone and put in storage. Then a few years ago someone in a little town close to me had them in their windows for a couple of years. It wasn't the same but at least it was nice to see. Then this past year a little furniture store on the outskirts of downtown, where Findlay Market is, had them in their windows so I had to go and see them. I'm disappointed, though thoroughly understand, that they "freshened" the Helpers scenes. I hope they brought some joy to some children this year. Great memories for me.

Adora watching her fish Friends. She loved watching these fish. Couldn't get too close because there's wire fencing as you can see. She still wanted to stop and watch every time during the Spring and Summer and fall.