I participated a 5K walk at work last week. This was my second time doing this walk, the last time was last year. I don’t usually walk this much, especially of late, ever since I can feel my knees acting up. It’s nothing too painful, other than the joints feel a little swollen when I walk.

This 5K walk gave me the rare opportunity to see downtown SLC in a way I don’t usually get to see. Last year, when I walked with my mom, I felt like I was constantly running up to catch up with her. Since she’s not doing the race this year, I got to do it at my own pace.

When I walked by Temple Square and saw these blooming flowers, I knew I just had to snap a photo. Most of the tulips in my garden are past their prime, some of the petals have begun to fall off. I was quite impressed how lovely these were, given that SLC is just 30 miles south of me. Either the temperature is different or the gardeners at Temple Square are doing something to preserve the blooms, I’m guessing the latter.

Meanwhile, in the garden, a different kind of flower was blooming. I can’t believe how many calendula plants sprouted this year. The seeds from last year must had got trapped in the soil. I love these flowers but I feel like I have too much this year. I’ll have to see how many flowers I can collect to dry. I take all the petals off of the flower and dry them. Then when it’s time, I will use the petals to make an oil to put into my body butter. With the climate being so dry here, I’ve been using a homemade body butter to keep my skin from cracking.

Of the two varieties of blue bells, I love the one with the blue veins. It’s the first time I’ve seen this variety pop up in the garden. At the end of last year, I sprinkled a wildflower mix in places where I know the mower won’t go. I’m surprised by all the flowers that popped up. The blue bells had been the first to pop up in the meadow and I’m not surprised that it’s the first to pop up on the lawn.

Finally, there’s the ice plant. I’ve never seen an ice plant until I visited the nursery last fall. The plant looks like a succulent and that’s what sold me because that meant I don’t have give it much water. From my observation, these flowers seem to unfurl in the sun and close on cloudy days or at night. What a fascinating creature.

The Flower Hour