Reds and greens

Today we are up later because the hour is advanced. In other words, what would have been six o'clock is now seven o'clock. Usually I'm on my computer by six or six-thirty, but probably not today. In fact, right now it's yesterday — Saturday night.

First photo (above): I've managed to keep my coleus plants going for another year. They have survived, in three big pots, all winter, indoors. Now I'll cut the tops out of them and root those in water, so I'll have plenty of them for the summer, in pots outdoors.

Second photo: I've planted some of my hens and chicks in the open spaces in concrete blocks and have them out on the gravel walkway that runs down the middle of the back yard. I love plants that are hardy and mostly take care of themselves, with little or no futzing on my part.

Third photo: One of the nice things we acquired when we bought this house is a big plot of land on the north side where primroses come up every spring. They were "planted" out there by the woman we bought the house from. She's nearly 90 years old now. She said people kept giving her pots of primroses in springtime, and then she would just throw the plants, with their rootballs, out in the yard. They always come back up in March or April.

Fourth photo: One more shot of the hens and chicks, which were first given to me by a woman in the village who is also nearing the age of 90. She called them « petits artichauts » — "little artichokes."