Baghdad in Bloom

After writing how hot it was on my return, just the next day we had a duststorm and cooler weather followed. Not that it is anywhere near cold, it is beautiful. Feels like lovely spring days with a touch of summer when the sun hits your back.

As the week wore on and I recovered from my jetlag, I began to notice the little changes that had occured since I left on R&R. Most of them involved the landscape. The grass is a bright happy green, and many things are in bloom. From blossoms on cacti looking plants to azalea bushes I recognize from home- there is a lot of flowering going on. Amelia and I would only be in the planning stages of our garden at home so it is a bit of a surprise to see all the plants showing off in early April. But common sense, and a visit to the Gardeners' Almanac, would surely prove that I am in a far different gardening zone here. When tomatoes ripen in late July and August in Ohio- they would be roasting on the vine here in Baghdad. So I am enjoying the color and trying to take it all in; I remember very little "living" when I arrived in late summer. I snapped a few pictures this afternoon of the more unusual plants and a date palm without the dates. Those do come later- I remember stepping around them on the sidewalk!

Otherwise, not much is new. I have been hard at work. Easing back was not much of an option since Eric, my Embassy colleague, left on R&R a few days after my return. His Boss, who would normally cover part of his portfolio, is delayed returning from his R&R. So with both of them gone, I am chasing down things in Environment, Science, Technology, Health and Water this week. No Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning off this week, maybe next. But, on the bright side, the week flew by, I am learning some new things and meeting many new people. The only real hiccup was a twenty-four hour stomach bug on Thursday; and sadly it involved a lot more than a hiccup. Grateful to be over that!

Love,

Krista