A couple of weeks ago there was a lovely sunset behind my house complete with a crescent moon. Hope you enjoy it.

Visit Skywatch Friday for more fascinating photos of skies around the world, Blue Monday for more things blue, Scenic Sunday, Outdoor Wednesday, Pink Saturday, and SOOC. If only one photo below, do click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the complete assortment.

That amaryllis that I (amazingly) regrew from last year was in full bloom about a week ago, in the sun before this unwelcome cold, snow and basic winter weather hit here in Seattle. But the weather changes, and we will have sunshine again. In the meantime, enjoy the color and shadows in my living room for a little while.

I love this photo with its deep shadows and look of peace and comfort and I am categorizing it as my Best Post of the Week. Hope you agree.

Visit Shadow Shot Sunday, SOOC Sunday (straight out of the camera), Today’s Flowers, Window Views and Ruby Tuesday for more photos with a theme. Do check next door at Free Photos to see what’s new. And if there’s only one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos to see the rest of them.

I can’t believe I got last year’s amaryllis to actually rebloom. A miracle! Garden tip: For one thing, they tend to be so top heavy that I’ve learned to plant the bulb in a clay pot, not the plastic one provided in the “kit” sold around here. Toppling over is so not good for those huge blossoms. So after the bloom a year ago I kept the plant on my sunny, south-facing windowsill, kept watering with the dilute plant food I use for all my houseplants, enjoyed the sculptural strappy leaves all year, watched as they died back gradually, and was amazed when I saw a flower stem emerge!

Visit Ruby Tuesday for more photos with red, and Outdoor Wednesday. You might try a tag of RED here (lower right) first, just for fun.

Thought I’d give you a vision of July flowers on this gray January day. Going through the archives to upload more photos into Free Photos “next door” (do check it out, or subscribe in that section, to see what’s new), I came across this shot of part of my front garden in my last house. I love flowers; can you tell? One of the things that happened in the four years or so we lived there is that our neighbors began to plant more flowers, and they said that we had inspired them. That felt good, and looked good, too!

Visit Today’s Flowers for more beautiful flowers from around the planet.

Winter has only just begun and of course we’re yearning for spring already. Here’s a vision of spring foxgloves, just a few months away. They are very easy to grow from seed, especially in the Pacific Northwest with our low light and acid soil, but they only bloom the second year.

Visit Macro Friday, Macro Flowers Saturday, Scenic Sunday, SOOC Sunday, Today’s Flowers and Pink Saturday for some great photography on a theme (photo memes).

While you are here, click on a new category or tag. Or browse next door for very pretty photos, in Free Photos. Don’t forget to rate your favorites!

I grew these paperwhites and did the vodka-and-water technique I read about on the internet and it worked great. They did not fall over and are doing their festive thing for us. Don’t they look cool in front of our tree? Let’s call this the Best Post of the Week, too.

Happy Christmas and New Year to all!

Visit Today’s Flowers for more flowers from the entire planet and Color Carnival for more bright colors, Macro Monday for close ups and SOOC for straight-out-of-the-camera shots. Check out Free Photos for more flower and scenic photos, while you’re at it, too.

Thought I’d share a gift of a springtime dream of color and fragrance with you this Christmas morning. Sometimes I think I like the bud stage more than the fully opened flower. Such energy and promise!

Visit Macro Flowers Saturday , Blue Monday and SOOC Sunday when you have time. If only one photo here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos, and for even more photo browsing fun, click on Free Photos. Have a wonderful holiday!

For me, the solstice is a key day to my emotional equilibrium. With the solstice night at about 16 hours long in this latitude, daylight is crucially important. Once the solstice arrives, the days lengthen again, so all is positive and improving.

I took this photo in my back yard on Tuesday morning, the solstice. One of the only benefits of the shorter days is that I actually witness the dawn light on some days. Can you tell I am not an early riser?

Visit Skywatch Friday for more skies seen round the world, Blue Monday and Scenic Sunday as well. This one is straight out of the camera, too. And Happy Solstice to you, a couple of days late.

As usual, if there’s only this one photo below, click on Sara’s Fave Photos for the rest of them.

Oh, the glories of a sunny morning. This image is hot off the memory card, as I took it minutes ago. Christmas cacti rule!

Visit Today’s Flowers for more amazing flowers, Color Carnival for more bright colors, and Cactus Monday and Macro Monday for you know what. This shot is straight out of the camera, too.

If there is only the one photo below, it might not be the latest blog post, so click on Sara’s Fave Photos, here or above. And soon, soon, soon, an entirely new look for all my dear readers.

All I want is some sunshine, so this dahlia flower photo will have to do. The stripey petals are called striated, I believe. Isn’t it a cool effect? This was an annual type, so it’s forever gone, but that’s why photos are so great, to me at least.

Visit Mellow Yellow Monday, Macro Monday, Color Carnival and Ruby Tuesday for more interesting and creative photos.

We’re getting very close to the launch of the brand new blog site! I’m very excited. Your browser should just bring you to the new site, so no worries. Soon!

Do click on Sara’s Fave Photos if there is only one photo here. And while you’re at it, try another category or tag, just for fun.