Nope. Not Done With Flowers Yet

I just can't stop taking pictures of azaleas and wisteria. The azaleas are blanketing the landscape stealing the attention of all of us. I took a little walk around noon- my first in quite awhile and I really enjoyed it. Although it's getting up into the 80's now, it's still pleasant enough outside not to kill us. The humidity is still reasonable. That really does make such a difference. 
That gorgeous hedge of azaleas is in the yard of the old Lloyd Woman's Club which is just a few doors down from us. 

Another neighbor, who lives a few doors down from that, has a yard filled with different colored azaleas. 

Look at those coral beauties. 
This is where Miss Martha's mother-in-law lives, or used to live anyway. Miss Martha was our post mistress when we moved to Lloyd and she was pretty awesome. Every little village needs a Miss Martha. She was an excellent post mistress and not least because she knew everybody and everything that was going on. And she was not shy to share. She never spoke maliciously about anyone. She is one of the kindest people. She really does just love to talk. She would talk about herself and her family regularly too. She was the kind of postmistress who would call you on Christmas Eve day to let you know that a package had come in for you and she knew that if it wasn't picked up, someone would be sad on Christmas morning even though she is a Jehovah's Witness and they do not celebrate Christmas. 
And now Miss Martha is retired and her husband's mother is no longer living in the house with the beautiful azaleas in the yard, she is living with Martha and her husband as she can't take care of herself anymore. 

Speaking of postmistresses, did I mention that Keisha has moved on up to the big show in Tallahassee? I have missed her, but today there was a different woman behind the desk in back. I introduced myself and welcomed her to Lloyd. She seems very, very sweet. Her name is "T". Or is it "Tee"? Or perhaps "Tea". 

Who knows? But it is an easy name to remember. 

Here's one more picture from my walk. 

I post a picture of this wisteria every year. Impossible to get any sort of scale on that but the tree it's in is very tall. I would say that wisteria is a skyclimber. And may eventually take down the tree.

I had to run to town today to pick up a few things but I made it a very quick trip. Still, it ended up taking more time than I'd wished. So of course I did not get very many things checked off my to-do list but hey! I took a walk! 
And I have picked greens and am cooking them with turnips and onions. I think we still have some time with most of our greens. The mustard greens are starting to bolt but the collards look just as they have all winter. The purple cabbage is indeed heading up. Gosh but I would be so proud to have grown purple cabbage. The kale is looking great and the turnip greens are too and I have got to figure out something to do with turnips besides cutting them up to cook with greens. I do sometimes add them raw to salads and they're good that way too. 

Mr. Moon has been crazy busy lately. I don't know that he worked this hard when he was still working. Right now he's helping a friend sell an RV and a truck which means a lot of research on values and so forth. He's got at least five different irons in the fire as we speak and probably more. Right now he's at a Maggie softball game while I'm here at home, stirring the collard greens and checking on the pie in the oven. 
I am failing grandmotherhood today and can just hear Maggie in twenty years sobbing to her therapist, "And my mom's mom never came to my softball games!" 

Kidney stone being quiet and no call from the radiology place. I will call them on Monday if I haven't heard from them by then. I was afraid that walking might jiggle the thing into a more painful place but, in fact, I've barely felt it at all today so I have no idea what's going on. 
Who knows? Not me. 

Did you catch that mention of a pie? 
I've been wanting to make a strawberry pie ever since the fresh strawberries started coming in. I really wanted to make a strawberry rhubarb pie but I haven't been able to find any rhubarb. Anyway, a few days ago I bought a nice-sized basket of organic strawberries at Costco and I have made the pie. 

I know it looks like a pizza but it is not. It is a strawberry pie with an almond/oat crumble on top. 
I hope it sets up as it cools. If not, we shall have to drink it with a straw or use spoons, dipping them into the fruit as if it were a soup. 

Oh, oh! Look what else is blooming! 

My tung tree. Every year I forget it's there but when I'm driving down the interstate or on country roads, I see them blooming and I am reminded that mine is probably blooming too. It's in a place in the back yard that I can't easily see. 
While I was out there, taking its picture, I realized that if I don't kick bamboo tomorrow, things are really going to get out of hand. Or foot, as it were. 
I will be attending to this situation, I promise.

Love...Ms. Moon