Blue

I've loved hydrangeas for as long as I can remember.  They're second only to peonies.  Which just so happens to be one of my favorite words to see in print or written:  peony.  

When we were looking at houses, I told people that I'd know the right house because it would have blue hydrangeas & a mimosa tree.  We found what I thought was the right house for us---4 bedrooms, 2 1/2 baths.  It had a formal living room, formal dining room, large L shaped family room, in a cul-de-sac, 2 stories & there was a large mimosa tree in the back yard.  And it was a great size yard.

Unfortunately, I was too busy looking at what was right with the house to see what was wrong.  The master bedroom & en suite bath were tiny.  Really tiny.  Our bedroom furniture wouldn't have fit.  Well, it would have but it would have been a tight fit.  And the master bath was the size of some apartment bathrooms I'd had.  There was no option of knocking out a wall to enlarge it as it backed up to the stairwell.

And the yard, well, it had holes in it.  They might have been made by the tenant's dog, or by a critter creating tunnels underground.  Or other things.  There were issues that our realtor pointed out to Hunter that I have since blocked because I was convinced that we were meant to have THAT house.

The more I raved about the house, the more Hunter would make faces & express his concerns.  Hindsight being 20/20, our realtor did us a favor.  We went on to bid on a different house & were outbid.  Two days later we looked at this house.  It was the first house out of 9 (I think, 9? Maybe 10.) that actually had him smiling.  "This house, I like!" he said as we walked up the driveway & into the garage.  There were negatives, of course, but he pointed out what minimal things they were, that the owner would pay to have them fixed & again, "this house, I like!"

But there was no mimosa tree & there was no hydrangea plant.

Or so we thought.  Our neighbor, Miss Jane, gave us a blue hydrangea as a housewarming/welcome to the 'hood gift.  Hunter's parents gave us a mimosa.  I was giddy when they both bloomed our first Spring here.

And I was positively bursting with joy when I realized that at the end of the hedge row in the backyard, there was a hydrangea.  And it was blue.  And it was magenta!  Two different color blooms on one plant.  Now, I'm not sure what kind of soil is going on in that part of the yard, but I'm glad it's wonky!

A week or so ago I was in the sun room when I noticed something blue & purple in the yard.  My hydrangea had bloomed.  Blue  & purple.  

I knew this was the right house for our family!