Picture Pause - A Promise Kept

Hi all.  A while back I made a promise to my friend, Janet, that when I got pics of my wild gladiolas* (Mom says they're hollyhocks) I would post them.  Well, here they are:

They wandered over from the neighbors yard last year and came back this year.  I've been trying to take care of them, especially since they're the only pretty things back there.  Otherwise all I have to look at back there are goatheads**.

If you look closely, you can see the little green spiky balls that turn into dried up torture devices in the fall.

And lastly, because I haven't posted a picture of my rescue cat...

Yep, that's Max the Wonder Cat.  Ain't he gorgeous?

Have a great weekend, folks.  =o)

* Not sure if those are really glads. Nope.  Hollyhocks. 
** Don't know what these are really called either, but we call them goatheads here.