Plucked too short

Had lunch at my in-laws' in Bellevue the other day.  One of their granddaughters loves to pick flowers from their garden, but she needs practice in getting the stems...  These were so pretty that I had to immortalize their short life.

WEEKEND REFLECTION--Pussywillows

Patiently making bundles of pussywillows to sell, along with his bottles of fiery-hot homemade peppers, a plant, and a pair of used tennis shoes.

See other reflections at James' WEEKEND REFLECTION.

Would have been 35...

My late husband and I would have been married 35 years today....

Sweet and tart

It's been warm and so I treated myself to a lemonade, instead of my usual cappuccino. Look at all that sugar! I actually don't put sugar in my lemonade at all, so back it went when the waiter cleared the table.

Bought the snowdrops from the man I posted a few days ago.

ABC WEDNESDAY "J" is for "Jump into spring"

"Jumping" into spring is what I've been waiting so long to do. Not a cold weather fan anymore. I just couldn't resist buying snowdrops from this springishly dressed man.... Two bunches for 100 dinars, which is about $1.25.

See other "J's" at ABC Wednesday.

Le Rouge et le Noir

An allusion to a novel by French writer who wrote under the name Stendhal, but the flowers have nothing to do with him or that novel, except the title. These are tiger lilies given to me by my son for Valentine's Day.

Won't you please buy my flowers?

It was just above freezing late the other night when I walked with my friend downtown. We passed this elderly man selling flowers and couldn't resist. She bought one of his fresh bouquets and I bought a dried arrangement.

Doesn't he have the sweetest face?

Flower child or Venus de Milo aux fleurs?

Couldn't think of a better title for this torso in a perfume shop downtown....any suggestions?

Tiny red roses

On a Bibi walk the other evening I found these tiny red roses....what first attracted me was their yellow leaves... I don't know why the leaves were so yellow, and yet the roses were so fresh and red.

Is there a allegorical message here?

The restaurant with a heart

Not only is it a restaurant with the most flowers I've seen for a while, but Moj Šešir , ('moy SHEH-sheer'/My Hat), is owned by Vlado Ilic, who has recently received official recognition for his humanitarian deeds. Mr. Ilic has helped many people who have been in need of some sort of aid by giving them money or food, and in the case of ladies who dine at his restaurant in very hot weather, a fan! After a lunch, he regularly treats guests to a dessert. He's given money to other small business owners to help them get back on their feet after a hardship.

I haven't eaten here, but will, and not just to get a fan... I think it's admirable that business owners have such a heart.

His restaurant is located in Skadarlija, Belgrade's former Bohemian quarter, that I showed you here in the winter.

THEME DAY-Perspective--a dog's eye view

I could say that my dog, Bibi, took this photo, and from this perspective, she could have. I took this with a little fish-eye attachment and stooped way down low, Bibi-level.

Click here to view thumbnails for all participants

The Lotus, Part II

A touch of the East in Seattle's Green Lake. Do you remember the lotus I showed you from India?

See more reflections at James' REFLECTIONS WEEKEND.

They grow 'em bigger here...

I have never seen such big poppies as I have here in Seattle. I don't know if gardeners pump them with Miracle Gro or not, but these red ones on a front lawn in the Queen Anne neighborhood of Seattle were as wide as a salad plate.

One in a million....

I am now back in Seattle after my three-week road trip through California.

Today would have been my late husband's sixty-fourth birthday, but I lost him nearly three years ago. Like the white tulip above, he was truly one in a million.... I'll miss him forever.

Wild irises and tame horses

Am now in Bishop, California, in the Eastern Sierras, visiting another high school friend. This is my third trip to Bishop, and I love it more each time. In this photo you can see the Sierras, some tame horses, and wild irises.

Not Italy....

Not Italy, not even Europe, but close. This is El Castillo, a winery in Saint Helena, California, where our merry group tasted and bought wine.

Bleeding hearts

I loved these flowers that used to grow in my grandmother's garden. These were photographed at a nursery I visited with my daughter, who's doing some landscaping.

What's your favorite flower? And for those of you who speak another language, what do you call them?

ABC WEDNESDAY-"N" is for "noshing"

Like these pastries? I did...of course not all of them. My daughter and son-in-law noshed on them... Yum.

See what others have done with the letter N on ABC WEDNESDAY.

Am in the US on a family matter for a couple more months.

SKYWATCH FRIDAY--stormy skies over daffodils

Stormy skies over a field of daffodils in La Conner, Washington.... This area is known for its fields of tulips, but few were open. It's a late spring!

See other skies on SKYWATCH.

Still in the US on a family matter.

It's coming......

The sun is coming, slowly but surely..... April showers bring May flowers, and we certainly have had our share of rain in Seattle. These flowers appeared before May, but others are still late in coming.


In Seattle for a family matter.