Sunflower Surprise!

Hey guys!

I'm back after surviving an absolutely soul-crushing heat wave last week.  I know, I know:  it's strange to be complaining about the heat in GERMANY when coming from ARIZONA, but it turns out that there's something to all those, "But it's a DRY heat!" jokes that Arizonans make!  Another major difference here is that thanks to the lack of air conditioning, there's basically no escaping the heat. I wound up curtailing my workouts (I was starting to get really ill) and hiding in the basement with the dogs eating popsicles.

We were extremely grateful to welcome a storm system on Saturday night that brought sweet, sweet relief for both us and our very parched yard.  However that same storm system also ruined our Sunday plans to try out a German Renaissance festival and forced us to turn around mid-way there.  Even Hubby, who has driving nerves of steel, eventually decided that we should turn back!

A view of our aborted drive into the mountains.

Hubby did surprise me after dinner, though, with the insistence that he had a surprise for me that he had been planning for a while and that I would need tennis shoes.  Here's where he took me:

Sign advertising Sonnenblumen (Sunflowers) for sale.

This a a farm a few towns over from our house where you can pick your own sunflowers.  Apparently he drives by it every day on his way to and from work and always thinks that I would like flowers.  

Cash box and knives for cutting your flowers.

The entire thing operates on the honor system.  The sunflowers were fifty cents each (Euro cents, not dollar cents, although both are 1/100th of the larger currency) and you simply cut whatever you want, return the knife, and leave your money in the box.  I will admit to wondering if everyone who stops by is completely honest, but we were careful to leave our payment!

My Hubby!

Hubby picked and cut the first flower. Here he is with it.  Some of the sunflowers were gigantic, but we stuck with smaller ones.

Me.

We wound up picking three smaller sunflowers.  I wanted an odd number because I thought they would look better in a vase.

In a vase back home.

Here's the finished product back home after a little trimming with kitchen sheers.  They are currently sitting in the middle of our kitchen table smelling wonderful.

Wasn't this a sweet surprise?

Stay stylish!

Amy

P.S.  Check out a random video here!