We Got the Blues!

And they are all over our front yard!

We couldn't be happier about it.

Those are my legs in the background, so this must be one that Otter took.  This is from a few days ago, when most of them were still in the early bud stage but this one was one of the first to open.  It's also one of the plants that originall broke through the ground months ago, and we didn't expect it to make it by virtue of the fact that it was still winter.  They are apparently much more cold-resistant than we thought, because we've had enough freezes and some of them have been hard freezes.  But they are still there and they are thriving!

These are one of the plants in the yard itself.

This one is in the whiskey barrel and is the same bloom as in the first picture.  Just a few days later.  Also, there is another opening bud that is visible but slightly blurry in this picture.

There are some alien invaders with this, some type of weed.  But I didn't want to pull it out and risk the bonnet.  I think that might be my shadow.

This one is also in the yard.

They smell heavenly!  Like Home.  Also, they do not set my allergies off.  At all.  Which probably wouldn't matter, I'd put up with it happily!

As far as anyone taking one, they should know better.  Because in all probability, they are a TEXAN.  And, even if it weren't immoral to pluck one, it was from someone else's yard (mine!) and that alone should have been enough.  It's actually illegal to pluck/pick/damage/kill/etc. the plants, if you happen to be in the state of TEXAS.  It's also just plain wrong to take something that is not yours.

We're just glad that we have them, and that they have naturalized as well as they obviously have.  They make us very happy, in case that is not already obvious.

We're taking over, OK just hasn't quite figured it out yet.  :)

OK, Froggy.  You asked about the bumper sticker.  Here's the first one:

C O E X I S T are the letters.  It means that we are all supposed to get along, but it is frequently mis-used and the reason that the Cross is last is not "just" because it's the letter T.  It was originally meant to be just the last letter, but (at least here) it is used to mean that Christianity is supposed to be last and least important.  There is actually a school of thought that says that we are not supposed to get along, but I don't necessarily agree.  I do think we should get along.  But that does not, and never will, mean that we have to condone other faith choices.  It just means that we should treat each other nicely and recognize that we do have differences in our faith choice, but not that we as Christians have to cower to other religions.  But that is the way that I've seen this mis-used.

The other one, the one we like and I posted the other day:

They are all gun manufacturer logos.  Like I said before, we are a Second Amendment supporting family!

I'm not sure if I'm still a knothead or not.  It's still very tender but I think that the knot/swelling is gone now.  It's bruising slightly, but not as bad as we thought it would.  But it does hurt when I move my eyebrows.

These next three pictures were taken today.  Otter got these as we were coming back in from our bluebonnet photography session.

She was looking up at Otter, but then she looked down just as Otter pressed the button.

She looked up again, but she wasn't still.  However, I think this is cute.  It captures her Never-Still-Energizer-Beagle traits!  She looks a little derpy, in my opinion.

One of the few times he's been still long enough to actually get a picture!  If you look closely, you can tell that he only stopped moving because he ran into the beagle!