Late May Bouquet

Fewer few, butterfly weed, rose champion, astilbe, love-in-the-mist seed pods.

Morning after Rain

Clematis is blooming

 Idyllic view on side yard

 Rain drops on a bush

Flowers for CCD Teachers

Roses, daisies and mini carnations from Saweway; butterfly weed, love-in-the-mist seed pods, lavender, hosta and a few branches from my garden.

Newcomers

New this spring:

• perennials--oriental poppy 'Allegro', hybrid cowslip, lemongrass
• hot peppers--jalapeno, Hungarian hot (mildly hot), Red Cherry
• annual--celosia.

May garden

Hello neighbor!

Flower bed on right side near garage.

Front yard

Front

Lambs ear and thyme

Flower bed around dogwood

Left side

Shady side yard

Side yard

I have a blooming lily-of-the-valley!

Veggie garden

Parsley, red flower (?), iris

Vegetable and flower garden in backyard

Radishes and lettuce

What to Give a Latvian from Russian Store

Anything with Laima brand... You'll find Laima chocolates among other sweets boxes.

For example, this wafer, hazelnut & chocolate dessert, Vaverite or "Little Squirrel".

 Little sardines are packed in Latvia!

Aldaris is one of the major beer brands in Latvia. Pictured are Aldaris Luksus (Aldaris Upscale?) and Aldaris Zelta (Aldaris Gold)

Maigums (the white box) is another great confection from Laima: marshmallow-like middle is covered in chocolate. Then, in freezer section one might find Karums ("Treat"): it is ricotta-like sweet cheese snack, also covered in chocolate. Vanilla is the original (and the best!) flavor. It must be thawed in refrigerator before eating. Storing "Karums" in refrigerator is fine. There might be Lithuanian version of this snack "Dodu" in the same section; do look for the Latvian product! Finally, pick up some dark rye "Riga's Bread". It is made in Brooklyn, NY, but tastes very good!

These are just a few suggestions I have. Selga brand cookies are also good, especially gingerbread, but I have not come across those in my store. Their deli meat selections is also pretty good; if she wants to get something from there, I would recommend any hard, smoked pork sausage.

Boltonia

A recent addition to my front yard: boltonia 'Pink Beauty'. It's a native plant, so should do great.