Dahlia

This was taken in the early morning, so the flash washed it out a little. I had decided that I didn't like dahlias--too much trouble, the bugs eat them, they need water, they start turning brown before they open fully, the blooms aren't as big as the catalogs boast, they have to be lifted in the fall and stored over the winter. Not worth it! But, with a couple of changes, I got this huge bloom. I read on the dahlia forum that the side buds need to be pinched to make a bigger bloom. That made sense, so I pinched. And now it's cooler, which it really seems to like. So maybe I'll dig these tubers up, lug them down to the basement and replant next spring. Maybe.
I just realized that I haven't posted since Tuesday. The stories about Katrina's survivors keep pulling me back to the tv. I have much to be thankful for.