woo hoo, sunshine!

i tried to take advantage of the warmer weather that showed up.
it seemed like it had been forever since it was here.
that long (ok, maybe it just seemed long) cold spell, 'bout did me in.
i was so happy to feel the sun on my face again.
i am NOT looking forward to the cold returning.
even our little houseguest enjoyed a little sun bathing through the window.

i finally got around to collecting  my zinnia seeds for next years crop.

i filled a large cardboard box and a plastic bag.

this little guy hung out on the box...nice spider , please don't bite me.

 i could of collected a ton more, but i think this was good enough.
i still had some just ready to bloom too...crazy.
i planted them way back in april, and they have went wild this summer.

our former pastor's wife grew zinnia's around her back patio.
that was the first time i had ever seen them.
i'm pretty sure i was in high school.
i just remember how much i loved them...all the different sizes and colors
i had no idea you could cut and save the deadheads for the next year.
when craig and i were first married, she gave me some seed heads from her garden.
i have reused them every year since...like 16 yrs at least.
i just always cut off the heads and save them for next year.
they seem to get more and more colorful each year.
i have some from a former neighbor too.  she had the giant ones.
i usually give a bunch away each year too, since i have so many.
it's amazing how many seeds you get from just one bloom.

wanna know what else is amazing?
that our super smart dog finally learned how to do her own laundry :)

at least she took advantage of the warm and breezy weather.
besides, i don't trust her around the clothes dryer just yet,
just ask the cat!