Happy belated Mother's Day

Usually, Mother's Day weekend is when we plant our tender annuals on the back deck. We plant three flats of impatiens in pots and boxes and dig all the chairs, cushions, and knick-knacks out of storage for what I like to call "opening the deck."

It's a bit of a gamble since, according to the USDA, our last frost date here isn't until May 31. But only once did we get any frost damage; that was a super early Mother's Day and it didn't kill the plants.

This year, we did not get it done. In fact, due to a sumptuously extravagant meal at an amazing restaurant, we got next-to-nothing done. So enjoy this photo of our deck in 2009. Well, a corner of our deck.