Well, the tomatoes aren’t too big, but in Seattle any ripe tomato is a wonder some years. The little yellow ones were from a volunteer plant in a flowerbed, unlike the started plants I bought and planted in black containers back in May, and sure enough, the volunteer is far bigger and happier in every way. It’s a puzzlement, because the plants in the ground last year refused to ripen, even cherry tomatoes. Sigh.

There’s also broccoli rabe in the basket. I planted seeds pretty early, and they were so spindly, went to seed right away, but THOSE seeds grew and now I have these huge, healthy plants, yielding like crazy. I like it steamed with olive oil, soy sauce and lots of garlic.

Happy Ruby Tuesday!

This is another bouquet creation that I photographed at the recent flower show put on by the local garden clubs. The lighting wasn’t as good for the “designs” (arrangements) as it was for the horticulture. And I detest flash on most things and especially flowers. But even so, the warmth and cheeriness of this one seems to shine through. I hope so, anyway. It’s for you, dear reader!

For more close ups, visit Macro Monday. And for more splashes of yellow, visit Mellow Yellow Monday. And for extremely colorific photos, visit Color Carnival.

I was lucky enough to be given a gift of a green Depression glass vase. I am thrilled! The green is my favorite color, and it’s in perfect condition. Here it is with a bouquet of dahlias, picked after the big rain last week toppled a tall, brittle stem that was covered with blossoms. Sometimes I find it hard to cut as many flowers as I want, but if they’re down already, I am exonerated of all guilt.

For more flowers of all kinds, visit Today’s Flower.

Here’s another photo from our camping trip last month. The weather last couple of days has been exceptionally fine, and I was reminded of this woodland path near Mt. Rainier. Dappled sunlight is my very favorite thing. Shall we take a walk?

For more mysterious shadows creatively seen, visit Shadow Shot Sunday. And for more scenic loveliness, visit Scenic Sunday.

We had a heavy rain recently and dahlias stems can be quite brittle. This one bent over very far but thankfully didn’t break. Somehow the back of it looked even better to me than the front. At least this way you can get an idea of the border beyond it that I’ve worked on so hard. I love to garden, that’s for sure, so it’s not truly work.

For more pinkness, visit Pink Saturday. Delightful.

This recent sunset was in the Burien Fred Meyer’s parking lot. I like the way the single streetlight almost looks like a star on a Christmas tree.

For more skies of every kind and color, visit Skywatch Friday. And post your own; it’s tons of fun.

Even with the warm weather we had this summer, it’s not too easy to ripen tomatoes in Seattle. But of course, I must try. The small ones seem to have the best shot at it, but I’m still learning with tomatoes, as with so many things. These are Husky cherry tomatoes, and the plant is particularly strong and sturdy. The tomatoes aren’t bad, either. I slice them on a sandwich, even the small ones, for flavor that can’t be beat.

Interesting fact: See the little star-shaped caps at the stems? There are five points. Fruits (and tomatoes are fruits, I think actually berries) that have patterns of fives, like an apple’s seeds if you cut it crosswise, are USUALLY safe to eat and not poisonous.

Visit Think Green Thursdays for more ways to live lightly on the earth, besides food gardening, that is.

Here’s a view of Puget Sound you don’t have too often. It’s so high on the 75th floor of the Columbia Tower Club that sometimes planes and helicopters fly by at eye level, and once I saw a blimp! This visit, I’m happy just to have seen the ferries and the rippley water’s surface, reflected in the late afternoon sun.

For more water manifestations, visit Watery Wednesday.

This is another horticultural specimen from the Chinook District flower show last week. I do not know the name, sorry. But it was something to see; a deep, dark red that just pulled you into itself. For more ideas of red, visit Ruby Tuesday. And post your own; it’s too much fun.

I love the macro setting on my little point-and-shoot Canon. It lets us really look at something in a way we rarely think to do. These three small pansy blossoms from my garden (from a volunteer plant!), each less than an inch and a half (4 cm) wide show us their perfection. Visit Macro Monday for other interesting close ups, and Mellow Yellow Monday for other photos with some interesting yellow components.