Iris is not just a four letter word

It seems that every crossword puzzle I do has the 4-letter clue "popular Spring flower". I don't know if irises are all that popular but they certainly are in my garden.

I love irises, especially the tall bearded German ones. Yes, I am referring to irises and not men, ha ha. 

Irises are so finicky.

• They don't always bloom the first year after planting. Also, just because they bloom one year, does not mean that they will bloom the next year. I was so looking forward to the unnamed but super fragrant iris that I bought (while it was in full bloom at the time) at last year's garden club show, but it didn't want to bloom this year. I guess it's having a break.
• They don't like to be too overcrowded but if I divide them, they sulk by not blooming until two years later (if I'm lucky).
• They are not prolific by any means. The ratio of blooms per foliage is very low. This year I have some glorious pots of iris that contain only foliage and I'm sure they bloomed last year. I do however, have one pot that is brimming full of blooms.
• They die if they get too much winter rain, good luck with that.
• They are beloved by snails and slugs. Last year, after waiting for it seemed like forever to see a bloom, I found that the entire flower stalk had been mowed down just before it was about to open.
• They are supposed to have more than one bloom per stalk but that doesn't always happen.

It is immense fun though to check the garden each morning to see which iris has opened. For a while there, I was seeing a new iris every couple of days. Here are the irises of 2014 (so far) in order of appearance.

Rosalie Figge looks great next to the rose Royal Sunset.

Superstition is supposed to rebloom in the Fall, yeah right.

This iris loves being in it's own pot.

I haven't seen this iris anywhere on the web. It came with my parent's home when they purchased it way back in the 60s and it was an old "heritage" house even then. I would say this iris definitely qualifies as a rare heritage variety.

Enjoying the sunshine.

Good old Immortality is the white iris and is very reliable. It comes back every year without fail and one time it even rebloomed for me in the Fall. I don't know the names of the other two irises.

Wild iris spotted while going for a walk in the park.

This iris reminds me of an orchid.

What I Learned in Exercise Class

For the past seven years, four days a week, I've been attending drop-in exercise classes at my local gyms - yes, that's plural as my membership covered four different locales, two including pools. During those years, I went to every class from Aerobics to Zumba. I say "went" because I stopped going when they cancelled Step Class.

What I learned:

• Step Class Rules!
• Spinning is the most punishing but rewarding workout ever.
• All Yoga teachers seem to have inner peace.
• Don't even try to keep pace with the instructor who considers exercise her life and runs 8 miles BEFORE teaching class.
• I can't run.
• Sweating is good.
• While wearing a sweatband is totally uncool, it does keep the sweat out of one's eyes.
• Being able to follow the choreography in Step Class, doesn't make me a Hip-Hop dancer.
• Don't eat a big meal before class.
• Get over feeling that everyone is looking at you.
• Everyone falls off the Step at least once.
• Warm up is important.
• Cool down is important.
• I don't do running.
• The Plank is impossible to do at first.
• If you're the only student who showed up for class and the instructor offers to teach the class anyway, say "Yes".
• Pass on classes that don't make you sweat.
• I don't do skipping.
• Wear a special outfit only for class.
• Hot Yoga makes you sweat so you feel like you're getting a great workout but you're really not.
• Buy a special pair of runners and use them only for class.
• There's nothing like music blasting at 8:00 a.m.
• Music must be loud enough to cover up the sound of one's gasps for breath.
• What a great place to get introduced to new music.
• Music helps you forget that you're exercising.
• I like forgetting that I'm exercising!