last night. Really really good book. The mothers in his books are such crappy moms; but in the end, he makes them human and forgiveable and loved despite all. Thanks to Chele for loaning me Breakfast with the Buddha
by Roland Murello. It was a sweet book. Easy, quick story about how to live and love.
We're on vacation this week. Mark is out fishing and I've filled a couple of buckets full of flowers from the garden this morning. Hope Mark catches as many fish as I have flowers!
I have to admit that I've let most of the containers go by now. I've moved a few close to the back door, where the watering is easy, so that I can keep them for another few weeks. This orange one was really pretty. All the coleus did really well this year. Regular watering + feeding + mild temperatures = great containers!
These are growing in a flower bed at work and I've had my eye on them all summer. They are some sort of amaranthus, but I don't know the variety of course. Some of them have reached more than six feet tall. With all that dark red foliage and beautiful blooms, it's about time to harvest some seed!
You may have noticed that most of my photos don't include people. Flowers yes, people not so much. But this weekend I took a bunch of pictures of Betsy and her people. Here are a couple that I just love. 
I am loving all these green and white zinnias. Added here a few hosta leaves and the passion flower vine.
Check out the BoS garden blog here. Lots more pictures with names of the plants used and other great gardening information. I can't wait to try a little slice of this in our front yard next year. Now how am I going to remember to do that?
This is the flower bed at my bank. But I have to warn you, these pictures may trigger an urge to rip out 90% of your perennials and replace them with hundreds of glorious annual foliages!
Here's the winning floral design from the On My Own Time exhibit. The designer is Kathrn Mahaffey. Very pretty.
I took this vase to work yesterday, and my office smells so good! I love hosta blooms when they are just beginning. They don't stay pretty on the plant very long, so cutting them for a vase makes sense. Much more fun than cutting old ratty flower stalks off the plant later.
Canna blooms aren't my favorite--the foliage is the real star with cannas. The blooms don't last long, but I caught this one at just the perfect moment.
Did I tell you about the great day I had last week when I wore a corsage? I went downtown at lunch and found a parking place right outside the door, work was a breeze--it was just an all-round terrific day. Let's see if that can happen again!
Rough Day by Meredith Mahoney, Illinois State Museum.
