Well, another week started. Slooooooow Monday, and when it's this slow you'd think I'd get home sooner, but nope, I have to sit in parking lots. Until rush hour starts, then I can go home. Couldn't wait to get home today, because the great big Prickly Pear in the back yard is starting to bloom, but the buds had all closed up by the time I got here, so I couldn't get a pic. Maybe tomorrow, but I can always wait until the weekend. After all, the thing will be blooming for a month...

This is the prickly pear which produces huge dark purple fruits that my mom makes into jelly for me every year... you can make jelly from the pears, or "tuna" you buy in the store, but they're a bit pricey, and I don't think the flavor is as good. The color of the jelly definitely isn't as good... Mom's jelly comes out deep magenta and tastes somewhere between a cranberry and a raspberry.

I'll ask her for the recipe, in case anybody wants to try it this fall...