Cheer up! Spring is coming.
I took this photo at the U.S. Botanic Garden, the enormous conservatory up on Capitol Hill. Mark and I went to see the exhibit of blooming orchids that’s running through April 9: Orchids in an Art Deco Garden, January 21 through April 2. Hurry! I know a little bit about orchids, but I was still surprised at how many shapes and colors orchids can take. There were flowers that looked like they’d be happiest adorning the shoulder of some mother of the bride, and flowers that looked like life forms from another planet. Carnivorous life forms.
Yes, we took many lovely pictures of the orchids (us and everyone else that was there). But this photo is the one that I’m using on my computer desk top today. This cactus was in a small wing of the greenhouses devoted to desert plants, and the blossoms had just naturally formed in the shape of a smiley face! Sadly, I didn’t see a single other person notice this wonder on the day we were there. But I can share it with you. 
