Hope everyone who celebrates had a truly wonderful Christmas. It was very good at our house.

Santa got his bling on!

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My Thanksgiving cactus likes to bloom for Halloween. I’m OK with that.

Red Thanksgiving cactus blooming in late October

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This is a late bloom of Crimson Glory, a deep cherry-red rose my friend rooted for me many years ago. It smells so intensely sweet!

Autumn rose blooming in a tiny cut glass vase

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My bedroom overlooks our rose bed, which has about fifteen rosebushes and is in front of the house. Lots of people walk by with their dogs, or just stroll by for a walk. So I am reluctant to cut any roses for bouquets, thus reducing the view for myself and passersby. But a big rain was forecast (finally!), so I cut most of them. Once it rains hard on roses, they don’t look so good for anyone, so best to bring them in.

If only you could smell them, so incredibly sweet! Homegrown roses smell the best.

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The tomato yield has been super this year. I got them in our new raised beds in late May, which is early for tomatoes in Seattle. I thought it might be too early, but the soil warms up a bit faster in raised beds and I think that made a big difference. Also we had evenly beautiful weather this summer, the most beautiful summer I ever remember in the 20 years plus I’ve been here. I almost feel guilty since so many other places in the world had difficult weather, to say the least. But I have enjoyed the balmy, sunny days so much.

Early Girls (the bigger red ones) and lots of yellow pears. The darker burgundy-colored ones are very sweet. Plenty more coming up.

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Berries have been gorgeous this year, at home and roadside. These blackberry vines were just loaded! A crisp ensued. Summer happiness.

Big juicy blackberries, ready to pick.

Blackberry crisp

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Some roses from my garden, with a few stems of lavender, on the first day of summer. The lavender is at the perfect stage for drying, before the individual florets have opened, but it works well in a bouquet, too. The peach one is Carding Mill, a David Austin rose.

Roses from the garden, under the cedar tree

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Happy Solstice! May your days be bright always.

Double Delight rose sends its love to the sun

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I love foxgloves, such a good garden flower in my Seattle yard. Reseeds but you can move the little new plants easily, and they’ll bloom next year. Tall and elegant, their dots just float my boat.

Pretty dots or spots decorate these mauve foxglove flowers

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Also called Japanese andromeda, pieris is a stellar shrub that thrives in the Pacific Northwest. And they are fragrant! Little bells of wonderfulness.

Pink pieris, backlit in the late winter sun

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