COLOR!!!!!

We have color!!!! Whoo hoo! I was buzzing like a bee around flowers this morning. The crew showed up and I realized there were plants in the truck. This is my newly planted Superstition Orange bouganvillea. A family friend gave me a gallon plant 20 years ago but I was moving around a lot at the time. I had no place to plant roots of my own so I gave it to my mom. She stuck it in the planter and it grew up to provide a beautiful contrast against my parents' home. My sisters' voice got softer when I told her I was planting one of these in my patio. It brings back memories of home...Palo Brea planting in progress. This is no shade tree but it has a wispy feel to it and a paperish, peeling, textured bark. We'll be able to look out our window and see this but still be able to get a good view of our neighborhood. I'll be parking myself next to this tree very soon. I will learn to talk to trees...I have my own Ocotillo. OK, I sound silly but as much as I'm excited about many of the plants, I feel priveledged to own, not one but two Ocotillos. I love these plants. To me they seem to reach up to the sky and burst into a riot of color when they bloom. We are going to name them "Spike" and "Punk." The Chicklet and I should have fun with this.I apologize for the poor pics. Took this when we got home and had to get ready to go to water aerobics with the Chicklet. Ray, the Designer Man, suggested we only plant one Jasmine vine in front of the picturesque chain link fence. He was concerned about them growing very bushy and me having more maintenance to do. "If you want instant gratification....," he said... BUT OF COURSE, I do! Maybe it was my imagination but there was a perfumey aroma as I walked around this evening. Could it have been the Jasmine? It wasn't the fabric softener from the neighbor running their dryer...I understand what Ray was saying about having a jam packed space. All of a sudden I felt claustrophobic and unsettled in the space. I looked out my bedroom window and there's a tree there... Buyer's remorse? That would be a big, fat NO!As often happens in the middle of an art project, I sometimes just hate it or think I've completely messed up. From experience I've learned this can be a part of the process. It's still only a part of the whole. Much is still left to be done. I'm really falling for this view. It's going to take some getting used to but I think I'll start feeling at home in this new space soon. I think I'm still feeling the need to pinch myself to help me realize that this is happening and this is all mine.This clown is still hanging out in the yard. The crew found them there this morning after The Chicklet was trying to find a good spot for them last night. We came home today to find that the crew had found some shady spots for the flamingos. The crew has a good sense of humor. They're doing a great job!

God Natta!
Marissa