… well, at least here in SoCal. As you know, I’m from Pittsburgh and let me just say it rains there. A lot. The sky is also gray quite often. Living in Orange County for the past five years made me appreciate rain and – gasp – even miss it.

I know we’re all spoiled by the warm sunny weather here and get annoyed when it’s cool and rainy. So, I just wanted to take the time to show my appreciation for the rain and to say I enjoy the change of pace. It’s funny though, all of my East Coast friends and family think we live in the tropics, even after half a decade. I’m constantly reminding people that while it’s warmer here than Pittsburgh or Philadelphia or Washington, D.C., etc. 65° is NOT beach/pool weather.

As I’ve been driving around South County the past few days I’ve been noticing flowers and other plant life in bloom, thanks to the aforementioned rain. The onramp to the 5 North at Stonehill has some really pretty wildflowers. Seeing everything in bloom inspired me to take a closer look at my own yard. The people who lived here before us (remember, we just moved in December) really had a green thumb and things are sprouting and blooming all over the place. Of course, being the Dr. Kavorkian of all things green I figured I better document this while I can.

So follow me after the jump to take the time to “smell” the flowers.

This is the only plant I can identify. It's a rosemary bush. However, I had no idea they sprouted flowers.

Also, for those of you that have a clue what these plants/flowers are feel free to chime in via the comments section. If you have suggestions for how they should be cared for let me know that too. There are several other varieties, but I thought eight flower photos were probably enough.