May Blooms & Such--2011

May is turning out to be a better month than April--probably due to the rain and the winds calming down a little.  Among a few other gardening chores I turned the compost pile yesterday, and it is finally showing signs of decomposition--I started it in earnest at the end of February.  I'll update the progress next time I turn the pile. 

Because yesterday was most likely the most beautiful day yet of spring, I decided to take a few quick snaps.  Some of my pictures are probably bright because I still don't know what I'm doing with that fancy camera of mine, and I also experimented some.  Nevertheless...here's what the lens saw:

The spineless will bloom!!

I'll start with my favorite--our spineless cactus!  In an earlier post (don't remember when) I was fearful that the spineless wouldn't bloom because of the lack of rain and the setback it had suffered the winter of 2010. 

But happily I was wrong about that.  Our spineless is loaded with an amazing amount of blooms.  Updates will definitely follow!!

Oxalis--Granny's favorite

I think I was playing around with F-stops and such on the camera with this shot.  Seriously, I do not know what I was doing!  But despite my lack of knowledge, I think the picture turned out okay.  Or perhaps I should say...thank goodness for Picasa!!

Desert Willow in bloom

We'll need a little more rain to get more blooms on the Desert Willow, but it is looking lovely right now!

Easter Lily

When taking this picture, I was practicing resetting the white balance on my camera.  A friend of mine had taught me what to do this week.  I don't know if I got it right or not, but this shot was better than the auto shot I took previously!




Bee Station



When it occurred to us that the the drought was impacting our wildlife, I remembered an article I had read about bees.  It suggested putting out shallow water stations so they can get water.  Pat suggested I use pot saucers until I find something more decorative.  I put rocks in the saucers so the bees can ease in and get a sip.

Squash blossoms!!

Some kind of fly or hornet on the Kalanchoe



And finally, our tomatoes are doing so well this year.  Pat and I are so excited.  Today he plans to water them with compost tea again.  They are cracking a little around the top, but with our temps spiking up and down and everything else...we're not worried about that at all!



Tomatoes!!