Flowers and Cats of Baltimore

It is no secret around here that this family is pretty focused on cats and flowers....come along for a little tour of those found on our recent trip to Baltimore to visit my brother and family.
A host of "root beer" iris greeted us along the front path on our arrival.
Mikey greets us at the front steps.....he is a feral cat, tamed over a long period of time, and now a regular member of the menagerie, although, he is still a fierce force to be reckoned with when in the house. Outside, he is a love!
Greeting LM and SIL, Jenni......(love those legs, LM) He's carrying a box of little treasures we found at a great antique center in Laurel, MD....some pretty glasses from the 40's-50's era, in which to serve lemonade or iced tea, an old blue bottle for Jason's collection, a 1.5 qt, turquoise and white Pyrex covered dish (great for microwave cooking), a set of beautiful fish salt and pepper shakers (guess who those are for??), and a birthday surprise for someone who reads this blog...photos later!
Mike loves to walk through the garden with anyone. He seems to love the feeling of the greenery rubbing against his face.
Here he is in the poppy patch.
Looks like the Japanese maple is about to gobble the mailbox!
Stair pots!
This lovely columbine was covered in flowers.
Into the house and it is kitty din-din time, which has its own set of interesting cat dynamics. Mike and Amy do a dance around each other and get in to a sparring match.
Love Amy's stance as the performance begins....
The glare....all the while, Ev is preparing the din-din...
Amy uses her right hook on Mike
Then the left hook....
He's down for the count (until the bowls are put down)
After kitty din-din, Mike hops on the table to discover one of his favorite treats, some freshly spun Corriedale yarn. He is truly attracted to it like catnip, and Jenni's Corriedale stash has to be carefully hidden or Mike will seek and destroy.
Wild eyed Mike says don't take MY Corriedale!
Meanwhile, Amy's sister, Lucy, has a nap in the cupboard over the refrigerator....can you tell that the toaster is usually there??
Looking out to the back garden, it is lush in its late Spring splendor of blooming azaleas. The potato patch is about to burst forth in the foreground raised bed. (Ev reports now that the bed is completely filled in with lush plants!) He also has thriving strawberry and raspberry patches behind the old garage (AKA Mike's outdoor house). The orange azalea really burst forth over the course of our visit in the 90 degree heat.
Brother, Ev, has a rest with the newest rescued family member, Rusty. She is so tiny and obviously had a very traumatic life before appearing half-dead in the back garden. Her tail is malformed, very short with a huge ball of cartilage at the end.
After all the fun, Mike adjourns to the front porch to nap.
It was a lovely visit.....lots of entertainment, thanks to the local felines, flowers, and of course my dear family!

More on my trip south tomorrow. Also, the presentation of the quilt will be Sunday, May 16. I'm lining up the hankies, as this will be a joyfully tearful event. Stay tuned.