Views of the Neighborhood – April Showers Bring May Flowers

~ John W. Howell

For Cinco de Mayo, we are going to take a look at some of the blooming plants that have benefitted from the April rains. We are catered by Bambino of Austin. Our entertainment is

 

Menu

PIZZA PIES

GLUTIN FREE – 13-ish inches  parm & lemon choice of marinara or cacio é pepe ranch

ROSSO – tomato, garlic, olive oil, oregano
ADD cantabrian anchovies –

MARGHERITA – tomato, mozz, parm, basil, olive oil

MI SCUSI – tomato, mozz, smoked scamorza, parm, olive oil, basil, sesame seed crust

COPPA CABANA – house coppa, orange marmalade, mozz, oregano, chile

LITTLE STINKER – lion’s mane, mushroom conserva, fontina, taleggio, mozz, kale, garlic, red pepper flakes

CACIO E PEPE – fresh mozz, fontina, pecorino, black pepper, lemon

UNCLE FRANKIE – tomato, fennel sausage, sweet peppers, broccoli rabe, chile bomba, red onion, parm

PRETTY… PRETTY GOUDA – gouda, challerhocker, mozz, gold potato, arugula,
red onion, marjoram

NO, YOU DA BOMB – tomato, chile bomba, garlic breadcrumbs, double parm

JOE MARS aka “THE TRACKSUIT” – tomato, Fra’Mani pepperoni & cupping pepperoni, mozz, ricotta, basil, hot honey

Picture of an old time school bus

Let’s get rolling.

Our first stop: Society garlic.

Blue Bonnet seed pods with caterpillar.

Purple Salvia

A beautiful pink Oleander.

Yucca bloom.

Yellow lantana

A nod to Dan Antion’s menagerie.

Pink salvia

Mexican hat (cone flower) wildflowers

Pink lantana.

Need help with this one.

New Guinea Impatiens

A budding Magnolia

Well, that’s it. Let’s relax and enjoy the food and an oldie. I hope you have a terrific week.

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Published by John W. Howell

I have been working in business for over forty years and now have the time to work in special areas of interest. My passion has always been to create compelling stories of fiction. I have authored six novels and am working on my Seventh. The first novel is still in manuscript form and being utilized as a door stop in the laundry room. The second is a contemporary fiction novel of 89,000 words and is complete and I am currently seeking a publisher. I also write poetry but have not had the guts to share any with anyone. The one time I read a piece to a person their only comment was, “it doesn’t rhyme.” I will continue to write and hopefully my blog, Fiction Favorites at www.johnwhowell.com will provide some entertainment and an interesting thought or two. I live in the Austin area with my wife Molly and an assortment of loving pets.

76 thoughts on “Views of the Neighborhood – April Showers Bring May Flowers”

  7. We just got back from our morning mile through the neighborhood, and I must say, while I saw some pretty plants and other interesting things, including several budding magnolias here and there, nothing quite so colorful as your photos. (Oh, yeah … there was one bright red hibiscus that really popped out! That one was definitely a winner for us.)

    Thanks for sharing, John. I always enjoy these tours through your neighborhood! Have a great rest of your day! 😀 ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  9. Ooh, the pink of that oleander is just so vibrant! And I didn’t realize lantana got that big (but then, everything’s bigger in Texas, right?!?) Love the squirrel and the magnolia bloom, too.

    Liked by 1 person

  11. I’ve never seen a yucca bloom – it’s lovely. I did appreciate the caterpillar – quite magnificent. And if it’s pizza today, I’ll take the Uncle Frankie – something new to try with fennel sausage.

    Liked by 1 person

  12. Your caterpillar is a salt marsh moth: Estigmene acrea. It turns into a pretty white moth with black spots. I’ve only seen the moth twice, but the caterpillars are everywhere just now. I found one crossing the parking lot at work a week or so ago.

    Liked by 1 person

  15. You are rather knowledgable about the blooms in your ‘hood! They are right pretty, too. Love me some Mel Tormé… perfect for a lazy Sunday.

    Liked by 1 person

  16. We could use some rain around here. Your neighborhood is looking good with those blooms. Interesting to see the bluebonnets seeding out. I really enjoyed the pink oleander and yucca. Bambano’s was a good choice.

    Liked by 1 person

  18. Beautiful flowers and Loved the Squirrel…. And thankfully our weekend has been sunny also here in England… Makes a change from those April showers!..

    Thank you John for sharing those delightful blooms xx ❤

    Liked by 1 person

  19. One ‘Uncle Frankie’, please. Wow, such a high caterpillar. I would have expected the ‘Velvet Frog’ to be singing from the salvia. He had a very funny appearance in a Seinfeld episode.

    Liked by 1 person

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