I brought these roses from my garden to my sister’s house on a Thanksgiving past. Nothing like November roses to tug at the heart of the gardener. Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

November roses for a Thanksgiving bouquet

Linking to Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2,  Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, My Romantic Home, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday and Saturday Show Off. Try a new tag from the tag cloud at right, why don’t you? “Bouquets,” perhaps?

Here’s a peek into the other side of the year. These purple lupines were blooming in my backyard in May.

Brilliant spring sunshine lights up purple lupines and some red rhododendrons in the background

Linking up with Outdoor Wednesday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, My Romantic Home, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, and Saturday Show Off. Thanks for your visit here, and you might click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see all the latest photos.

Sometimes the archives from the opposite time of the year are what I want to post. I guess I must be in tune with “down under.” These hydrangeas in the Volunteer Park Conservatory from May speak to me, somehow. Hope you enjoy them.

Pink, blue and purple hydrangea macro

Linking up with Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, and Saturday Show Off. Click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above to see all the latest photos.

This bouquet of yellow roses, some with magenta-pink edges, were a gift for my daughter on her birthday last year. Here they are again, in all their perfection.

Yellow roses with reddish edges in a bouquet, with soft shadows

Participating in Monday Mellow Yellows, Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Saturday Show Off and My Romantic Home. If only one photo shows here, click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for a few more recent ones.

Hunting for another photo, I found these perfectly pink peonies, with their soft shadows, languishing in a folder. Here’s to the bliss of summer flowers.

Frilly pink peonies from my summer garden

Linking to Pink Saturday, Ruby Tuesday 2, Wordless Wednesday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Blooming Friday, Macro Monday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, I Heart Macro Saturday, Saturday Show Off and My Romantic Home. If you see only one photo here, try another tag or category to see a few more. Thanks, and glad you could stop by.

When I was in the Seattle Asian Art Museum recently, I saw this detail of antique Chinese embroidery of ocean waves that I thought you might enjoy.

Detail of silk embroidery on antique Chinese robe

Linking to Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Water World Wednesday (ocean waves!), Saturday Show Off and Ruby Tuesday 2. Please click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above for more pretty photos, if you see only the one image here.

A friend gave me a rooted cutting of this tropical Angels Trumpet plant a year and a half ago and how it’s almost as tall as I am. And this summer it bloomed! At night the whole house has its sweet perfume wafting through it.

Golden yellow brugmansia or Angels Trumpet blooms in a southern window in late fall

Joining up with Monday Mellow Yellows, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Macro Monday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, I Heart Macro Saturday, Saturday Show Off and My Romantic Home. Please click on some tag or category that’s new to you for more pretty photos.

My Christmas cactus lost its only flower.

Close up of pink and white Christmas cactus flower

Linking to Pink Saturday, Today’s Flowers, Floral Friday, Weekend Flowers, Macro Monday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2, I Heart Macro Saturday, Saturday Show Off and My Romantic Home. Browse around here if you have a minute. Thanks for visiting!

Browsing through my archives, I found this photo I took of a bird. I think it’s a parrot!

Beautiful little yellow and red seed-eating bird perches outdoors on a friend’s finger

Joining this post to Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, Straight out of the Camera Sunday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, Nature Notes Wednesday, Camera Critters, and Saturday Show Off. Do click on Sara’s Fave Photos Blog above if you see only the one photo here. Thanks!

What with all the wind we had, the leaf season is leaving. This beloved poem comes to mind.

Spring & Fall: to a young child

Margaret, are you grieving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leaves, like the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Ah! as the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you will weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sorrow’s springs are the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It is the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

© Gerard Manley Hopkins. All rights reserved.

Here is another leaf scene beauty.

Jewel colors of autumn leaves not yet fallen

Posting in Ruby Tuesday 2, Monday Mellow Yellows, Outdoor Wednesday, Macro Monday, I Heart Macro Saturday, Scenic Weekends, Pink Saturday, Mandarin Orange Monday, Orange You Glad It’s Friday, and Saturday Show Off. Thank you for visiting and please, come back soon!