Like visiting an old friend

Sally and I went for a nice hike this afternoon. The weather's been kind of cool, and as a result my desire for yard work has been ho-hum. I did get one thing done, which I'm going to put in another short post, plus odds and ends like fixing the hinge on the gate in the yard that's been falling apart for the last (*cough*) couple of years.

This lovely little plant is P. bellii. I studied it in school, so I feel like it's an old friend in a way. It's pretty specific in terms of its habitat, loving shaley soil that seems inhospitable to many plants, so it's kind of rare. There's a population of it where we hiked, and it's just coming into flower. I should have put something in for scale, but the whole thing is about 5" across.

I've noticed a difference hiking this year, since I started doing Spin classes last fall. I have more energy when I hike; it's easier. That's a good feeling. The dog loves to hike, and it's good to get her out as well.