AND A LESSON LEARNED.....
I love poppies of all kinds.  This rare beauty takes  2-3 years, usually 3, to bloom.  The "mother" plant grows, but lies dormant for that period of time, then you get 2 to 3 lovely flowers.  Interestingly, the "mother" plant then puts out a new shoot - a new plant at the bottom of the stock, and then dies, with the new plant taking over.  Then again, another 2-3 year wait until there are blossoms.  Now what was really interesting - the "mother" plant on this one did not die.  I was soo pleased.....however, I can't believe I did this.....it had been growing in a pot, in a partially shaded area of the garden....I forgot to move the pot over winter and now it is lost.  You don't often see this beauty at nurseries where I live....but will be on the hunt for another one - and this time - I will make sure to take greater care in the winter.
In the meantime....here is a picture of the Strawberry Contraption my DH put up the other day. It is not the greatest picture, but enough so you get the idea.  The plants are tiny yet, and in a bit of shock, but they will come along.  Isn't this a great idea to keep the slugs away?  I love it!

We also had our first salad of the season - the fresh lettuce and spinach are from my garden, the rest of the ingredients for this simple spring salad came from our local Organic Market just down the street from where we live.  Whatever I don't grow myself, or don't have ready yet, I can always be assured of lovely produce from our small town market.  The dressing I made is kind of like a Caesar Dressing - so easy, and tasty.


1/2 cup of Mayonnaise
1 finely minced garlic clove
anchovie paste (about 1 inch long squeezed out of the tube)
juice of half a lemon
1 tblsp. water
handful of grated Parmesan Cheese
fresh cracked pepper
Whisk up well, and refrigerate a couple of hours before using.