Anticipation

Watching for Fed Ex, UPS or friends...

Old Ornaments

...that are so precious they live in the dessert dishes in the china cabinet year round.

The Last Faerie Rose

These roses bloom long and prolifically. And they require no more care than a periodic pruning when they overtake the space they're in. Love them!

A Clean Car

I've found that clean cars drive better. How about you?

Another View from the Room

6.45 am, Chicago Hilton looking up Michigan Ave to the Field Museum...

Flowers in the lobby

are always a good thing.

Friday Morning

My street, taken from the car, leaving for work and doggie daycare. Golden posse in the back.

Photo Ops

It's a good thing to practice your macro photography on flowers at the office. While they last.

Cost cutting measures are happening everywhere. Instead of arrangements with flora that look as though they came from outer space or outer Mongolia, we will have a green plant.

Understandable, but dull.

Promise

I have a row of camellias across the front of my house. This year they are dense with buds, and this is the first to open. It's like a promise that the rest will open and be beautiful!

Breakfast of 8 year old boys

My 8 year old nephew seemed to enjoy all the food I served this visit. Particularly since most of it took the form of -sticks and could be dunked in the special dunking bowl I have on hand for just such occasions. Leading me to say fishsticks, frenchtoast sticks and sausage sticks are a good thing, but dunking? It's da bomb.

Baskets

These baskets were piled on top of the fridge at Signe's house. She uses them for everything...

Unpacking last year's decorations

Unpacking last year's ornaments and decorations is almost like getting them new again!

Gus

Gus lives with me and Cotton, my other Golden Retriever. Which means no kids in the house. Gus feels it his duty to make the most of having an 8 year old boy visiting.

Where make the most of = sleep with, sit next to, share food with, run around in the yard with, lick, and generally adore.

Counting treasures

Let me count the treasures in this photo:

1. Visiting nephew
2. Food for 8 year olds
3. Dish for sauce to dunk in (see #2)
4. Hopeful dogs, close but not too close (toss up as to if this was for food, or because they've shadowed nephew since his arrival)
5. Watching cartoons