Reprise -- Sally's Iris

Almost two years ago (May 5, actually) I began a journey. What turned out to be a wonderful journey and I'm hopeful that it will be a long journey as well.

Lines of Linderhof became a blog and soon I shall celebrate it's Second Birthday, I've done just over 600 posts and I've feel fortunate to have over 200 followers.

What began as a way to do my newspaper column, Lines from Linderhof, with pictures has turned into an exciting experience.

In celebration of Lines from Linderhof's Second Birthday, 600 plus posts and 200 plus followers, I'm going to have a give away. My favorite herb book, Betty Crocker's Kitchen Gardens, by Mary Mason Campbell and illustrated by Tasha Tudor. I've had mine for 30 years and it is well worn. It's a much loved book that I would like to share with one of my readers.

There are two chances to win --

1 - Write a comment on this post, it's the first chance.

2 - If you're a follower or become a follower, it's a second chance. (But you have to tell me that you're a follower!)

It's Sunday and time for Sunday Favorites. Please join Chari at Happy to Design to see what everyone's favorites are this Sunday.

My first post -- alas, there were no comments to this post 2 years ago -- I'm not even sure that anyone even read it in 2008!

Sally's Iris

The gardens at Linderhof are filled with flowers. Most are "pass along plants" -- plants given to me by friends and relatives. Old fashioned flowers for they seem to suit Linderhof's age. Old fashioned flowers because they seem to grow well on my part of the prairie.

Iris always reminds me of my grandmother for her garden was always full of them -- mostly the old fashioned deep purple ones. She called them flags and they didn't bloom in her garden until around the end of May. They were always picked and taken to cemeteries on Memorial Day.

When I stopped by Sally's today to see a new plant, not only did I get a great cup of coffee which we sipped on her covered back porch while watching the birds and a dish of ice cream with strawberries but I also ended up with a grocery sack of iris -- pale purple ones -- so pale that they seem white.

None of the iris in Linderhof's gardens are that color and I put them in a special place. Where you can see them from the breakfast room. They won't bloom this year but they will bloom the next and those icy purple iris will always be a reminder of a day spent on a porch with a friend.

Back to 2010 -- the iris have grown and are now blooming. They make quite a statement in Linderhof's garden . . . and they are an icy blue -- almost white!

I can't wait to share Betty Crocker's Kitchen Gardens with a lucky reader and I'll draw the name of the lucky winner on Wednesday, May 5 -- my second anniversary!