One thing about it, there’s always blog material.

Just like germs, (with thanks to the wisdom of a seventh grader from days gone by), there’s blog material everywhere.

With that in mind, I went out in the back yard to check the plants.

Since it had been raining the previous week, everything was nice and green. One thing that surprised me was that the alyssums are doing great!

Over the summer I had my doubts, but now even the ones that grew from seeds I had half-heartedly sprinkled out there are thriving. I had always thought of alyssums as summer flowers but apparently these aren’t.

Although I almost never water the back lawn, I could let people think this green is a product of attention and meticulous lawn care on my part. But most people know me too well to fall for that. It’s all from the rain, trust me.

As you can see, the pine tree is doing nicely. I’m so glad I was able to have it trimmed properly by real tree experts! If you missed it, you can read about that in “I Found a Tree (Again)”.

When you’re looking for blog material in the back yard, it’s always fun to experiment with portrait mode.

Who knew you could do that with an iPhone?

The beaded garden stakes are still looking good. Why are there rocks, a brick, and a seashell in the empty planters? Well, the answer would have to be squirrels. At least I hope it’s only squirrels. I don’t like going out there and finding holes and dirt everywhere, especially when I’m not sure what was out there digging.

Succulents are always a good choice for people who tend to neglect their plants.

So far the (possible) monstera plant is still doing well, although I think it might be suffering a bit from the cold. That or lack of water, but we won’t go there.

When I repotted that one awhile back, I had to cut some pieces off. Having read that you could root these cuttings in water, I decided to try it.

Not sure if you can see them or not, but I’m happy to say the roots are growing nicely.

The shabby chic mosaic turtle is getting a little faded, but is still smiling.

This one stays under the vintage step stool. I’ve learned my lesson about putting turtles of any type, especially those lightweight resin ones, out in the sun.

From my bench by the cactus area I can see that I need to work on my sidewalk painting when the weather warms up.

I do like that I have a spot next to the bench to put my coffee cup.

To the right of the bench, on the other side of the little picket fence, is a section I think would make a cute sort of “secret garden”. But it’s kind of in an “out of the way” spot, so I can see myself forgetting it’s there, and well, you’ve read about Sunny the Sunflower, who was in plain sight.

Overall, I was happy with my little search for blog material. To borrow Dorothy from “The Wizard of Oz”, when in search of your heart’s desire (or blog material), you don’t have to go any further than your own back yard.