Elphaba Sambo!

Welcome to the family, little kitten!

The lens cap kept dangling, and she thought it would make a nice toy.

My flip flops also seemed to make nice toys.

So did the corner of the windowsill. Pretty much everything is a fabulous toy.

She's a little parrot just like her big sister!

Of course, I have horrible scratch marks all over my shoulder and neck from her sharp little claws. ;)

Dan and I are just marveling at all the tiny places she can fit into! We've had to raise the leg rests on the recliner ends of the couch several times because it's the only way we can get her out.

Unfortunately, Big Sister doesn't seem overjoyed at the new addition.

We pretty much have to monitor them constantly when they're both out.

Elphie seems pretty fearless, ahem, foolhardy.

Ginger really doesn't seem the least inclined to like Elphie.

She's miniature!

In related news, Chuck came over and helped Dan put up the siding on the front of the garage!

But it was my determined boy who pushed through the fact that the garage is still crooked, even though, optical-illusion-style, it looks straight. It's not as easy to fool the siding.

By the way, this is the cute little picket fence Dan put up a few weeks ago next to the driveway. We may or may not paint it. We'll see.

Thumbs up!

These irises are going CRAZY!

The Las Vegas irises on the other side of the porch only have two blooms at the moment, but look at all those buds! Holy cow!

My petunias were looking kind of puny last week, but look at them now! I think one or two of them are inconsistent in coloring -- maybe some just got mixed into my flat? But I don't care. :)

I have the darnedest time getting a clear picture of this little thing. I almost think it might be a columbine, but I'll have to see. It just came up.

The verbena are making good on the nursery's promise that they'd be consistent bloomers all season!

This is (hopefully) the dahlia coming up from the tubers I planted.

My Grape Crush New Guinea impatien earlier today.

And tonight when we got home.

This nemesia, though I have a problem getting a clear picture of it (stupid auto-focus!), is also just really pretty. It's the Sunsatia Mango, which I just think it so pretty. It only had one flower on it when I bought it. :)

I can't get enough of this columbine!

Not sure what this is. It's the same thing that goes around the perimeter of the yard.

It was a little windy. Can you tell? (It's after ten PM right now and it's raining, finally.)

I think this stuff, along the side of the house, growing wild, is lily of the valley. What do y'all think?

Eden?

I'm having such a blast with this gardening. Mom, thanks for humoring me by looking at this blog. :)

I bought this African violet on clearance at the grocery store the other day. Isn't it pretty? It's very different from my pink one.

There is another plant that I've deemed indestructible -- this wisteria. I procrastinated all last year about planting it, and finally I gave it up as a loss. It's been sitting in the corner of the yard by the garage, and yesterday while I was watering I was dumbfounded to see that it was leafing out. Unbelievable!

A lone bloom on our magnolia tree, which is looking beautiful with all its leaves. :)

My columbine is blooming!

This is Partytime, an alternanthera?, that I bought yesterday. I just love the stripes!

I also got this little Figaro dahlia.

This is called an Outback Paper Flower. I think it's so cool!

This coleus is called Twist and Twirl. Very different from my other coleus.

A New Guinea Impatien called Grape Crush.

Dan tore all the siding off the front of the garage. He plans to put up the new siding tomorrow.

A little plywood.

Cutting the plywood.

I put about a coat and a half of paint on the doorframe the other day. It definitely needed it. It makes such a difference!

Iris heaven!

I have Las Vegas on both sides of the porch! The one on the other side finally bloomed. :)

And the main side is just going bonkers.

Three huge blooms on Las Vegas and one about to open up.

The newest one to bloom now has two flowers!

They're SO PRETTY!

I, uh, just can't seem to stop taking pictures of Princesse Caroline.

My snaps are looking good, even though I accidentally knocked one over with the hose. Oops!

All the verbena is going crazy, including the verbena in the mailbox!

See?

And unfortunately, it seems that there's a problem with this Gerbera daisy, because one of the new flowers has started getting brown spots too. :(

I need to make a matching one that says, "Keep Off the Indestructible Thyme."

My grape hyacinth isn't looking as bad as I thought. It almost looks like it's trying to make a comeback, but isn't it too late in the season for that?

This lisianthus is so darn pretty!

And last, but certainly not least, Her Royal Highness. Angry, as always, that anyone would dare to go outside without her.