Holiday Homestead Share #19

Today's holiday homestead share topic is winter flowers.  

Huh?  Winter flowers? What on earth can I post for winter flowers?  

I have to admit, I spent most of the day racking my brain to try to figure out which flowers bloom in winter, but it wasn't until I was halfway home that it occurred to me.

Pansies and Violas.  They bloom in winter.  I even had some a few years ago, and probably still have a photo of them...somewhere.  Yes, I do!  Here it is:

Then, I thought, well, duh!  My whatever cactus blooms in winter, too!  I could post a photo of it...or them....I've got several.  

They're not doing well at the moment, but in past years, they've been really pretty.  

I think I need to find a better place to put them out in the summer.  In my old house, I could put them on my front porch, because I had some really nice shade trees, so they got the bright indirect light they need.  Plus it was south facing, so they were protected from the driving rains.  But in this house, my front porch is south facing, but it is full, intense sun.  I've been putting them on my back porch, which faces north, but I think they're drowning in our heavy spring and summer rains.  Until I figure something out, I'll just bring them inside when it rains.

But I didn't really come here to talk about that.  

So, I was all set to talk about violas and cacti, but when I got home, I found something very special waiting for me in my mailbox.  See, around this time every year, the veterinary office sends out cards to everyone who has lost a beloved pet during the year.  

This year, they included with the card a pawprint thing that is embedded with seeds. 

In an ideal world, I could plant it and it would grow into beautiful flowers.  But this is me we're talking about.  I've never had success growing things from seeds, so I'll just hold on to this for a while, and imagine its potential.  

Maybe in the spring, I'll put it into a pot, and see what comes up.  

But for now, in the middle of winter, I'll just have to hold these flowers in my heart.  Right next to the memory of my Jesse.  

That's a flower that will never die.