This photo has a simple subject, but the complication is that I don’t know what the plant is. First I thought comfrey, but I looked it up, and no. Then I thought Lambs’ Ears, but I looked THAT up, and it doesn’t grow in rosettes like this one. So, I don’t know. If anyone can enlighten me, I’d be grateful. It’s growing in a neighbor’s yard near my home in Seattle, Washington. [It appears to be Mullein. Thank you, Ms. Toastburner!]

For more ruminations on the theme of Simplicity, visit Thursday Challenge. And because I’m pretty sure it’s an herb, and that qualifies for Thinking Green, visit them for more ideas about being green.

The other morning the rose bed in front of the house was all foggy looking, just for a few minutes. That’s my neighbor’s planting in the background. We are putting tulips around the edges of the rose bed for the springtime, before the roses get going, and planted them just in time for the recent rain to bless the bulbs.

For more views of all kinds of wetness, visit Watery Wednesday.

Took this yesterday in a break from the heavy rain we’ve been having. Roses don’t really like a lot of rain and if you know more is coming, you might as well pick the ones you have and enjoy the bouquet before they get too battered. Isn’t this a pretty one?

For more flowers, common and new to you, visit Today’s Flowers. And for more fascinating macros of all kinds, visit Macro Monday. And Ruby Tuesday folks, you know what to do for more ruby redness!

These red, red bushes were in a beautiful old neighborhood of Seattle, Capitol Hill. I pulled the car over and took the shot. I think the front one might be called Burning Bush. For more scenic visions around the world, visit Scenic Sunday. And this color brilliance deserves a visit with Color Carnival, too.

Here is a bouquet I picked last week. The sun came out strong and before I took them to a cooler location, of COURSE I took this photo.

For more shadows of all types and descriptions, visit Shadow Shot Sunday.

The rain has really come, and the garden needs it, but I’m still not ready to show rain-soaked photos. This one is from just a few days ago. The weather has been so unusually sunny that this cosmos plant is a self-sown seed volunteer from seedlings I put out this spring! Enjoy your weekend, and visit the other Pink Saturday participants.

A recent view of Seattle’s Puget Sound with a ferry coming into dock, very late in the day. The quality is not so great, but out of the car window at cruising speed, in low light, well, it’s amazing what these little cameras can do. For skies seen around the world, visit Skywatch Friday.

Beauty’s a pretty broad concept, and of course mine has flowers in it. This is from August, from my bedroom window. The horse’s name is Ranger, boarded in the neighbor’s pasture, and the flowers I planted with my own little hands. To me, a scene like this gives me feelings I can’t describe, so I guess I’ll call it beauty.

For more interpretations of the idea of Beauty, visit Thursday Challenge.

The sunny weather finally ended, and we’re looking at at least a week or two of rain and showers. Today I was out after a meeting in Wallingford and saw this rose still showing the rain from a few minutes before. I just can’t seem to get enough roses lately, but I think the rain coming up will put an end to them for this year.

For more water of all kinds, visit Watery Wednesday.

I’ve decided that this is my Best Post of the Week. Check out what other bloggers think is the week’s best.

These coleus plants used to be quite popular as houseplants in the ’50s. Of course today there are many more types and varieties, but they still are the same flashy foliage, pretty if minor flowers. In Seattle they are grown outdoors as annuals, but you can root cuttings easily and have houseplants during the winter. I am particularly proud of these because I grew them from seed, and it was way easy.

For more ruby redness of all kinds, visit Ruby Tuesday and check out this week’s participants.