Irises

Irises make me happy. Maybe because they're some of the first flowers I recall from my childhood. Wherever my family has lived, we have grown purple irises. We had a bunch of lavender irises growing along the backyard fence of our townhouse in Rockville, Maryland. I remember having to gently push aside the laden blossoms in order to open the gate on my way to the playground behind our house. Later, when my family moved to Toledo, Ohio, we planted purple irises in our new backyard. Here in Midland, Michigan, too, we have irises growing in our backyard. It's fun to see irises blooming this week around the neighborhood.

I also noticed a bunch of these pink flowers in a neighbor's front yard. I'm not sure what they're called; I keep telling myself I need to buy a field guide and start learning more about local plant life. In the meantime, though, I enjoy just admiring them....