We’ve had three days of really nice weather—dry and not too cold. Time to start peas outside! I like to soak them for a few hours before they go in the ground. So exciting to be planting something for spring.

Three kinds of peas soak for a few hours before going in the ground

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Hellebore flowers bloom wonderfully early. They usually have very nodding flowers, but this one is face-up!

Purple Lenten Rose, or helleborus, blooming in February

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Winter’s big plus up in Seattle is that the sun, when it’s shining, comes way deep into the room if you have a southern exposure. The plants are a bit confused as they get no direct sun in the summer but of course then there are much longer days.

Dried blue hydrangeas and a Thanksgiving cactus on mom’s glass-topped table, I think from the 30s.

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An August rose for your January day.

Close up of a rose and bud with its soft shadows in my garden in summertime

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It’s gray and rainy in Seattle this week, with more darkness on the way. Let’s think about summer sunshine and tomatoes, just for a bit, shall we?

Orange sungold and red cherry tomatoes from my garden, with their little star-shaped hats I love so much

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In Seattle on a sunny afternoon at this time of year the shadows reach far into the house.

Striped shadows on my glass of milk

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The cotoneaster berries are super red this year. Birds and photographers love their winter redness. Note: this plant has an extremely weird pronunciation. You might think it was “cotton Easter,” but no. It’s actually pronounced cuh-tone-ee-AST-er. Isn’t that something?

Brilliant red cotoneaster berries from above

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Okay, a day late. But I love the cheeriness of its smile. May all the spooky times be over with!

Ready for the big night, a Halloween pumpkin is transformed into a smiling creature

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I adore my little carnivorous plant, a Cape sundew. It eats fruit flies and soil gnats! A few short months ago I transplanted the three little plants that were in a 2″ pot into a 4″ pot, filled with sphagnum moss. They are so happy—I need a bigger pot already! One just bloomed and now the second one is getting a flower.

Care tips: 1) Must sit in an outer pot kept filled with water about halfway up. 2) NEVER give it fertilizer. The bugs feed it. Learned this the hard way.

Tiny droplets attract fruit flies and soil gnats on the Drosera capensis, commonly known as the Cape sundew

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Sometimes just one rose petal is enough to tell the story. Autumn is here.

A single rose petal falls on the table.

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While natural light is my fave, here’s some person-made light illuminating my bouquet of garden roses.

Ready for her close up, a perfect Sundowner rose in the evening

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The only name I know for sure is string of pearls for the middle one. Some kind of rosette with pink-gray leaves on the left, and the weirdest one, a cactus with long papery spines that are kind of like fingernails, but very pointy indeed, on the right. We’ll be getting sun in this window all winter.

Some succulents in the afternoon sun

Also see Through My Lens Monday, Our World Tuesday, Tuesday’s Wordless Wednesday, Tuesday Treasures, Wordless Wednesday, My Corner of the World Wednesday 1, Little Things Thursday, Friday Bliss, Weekend Reflections, Pink Saturday, Shadow Shot Sunday 2 and All Seasons Sunday1. Thanks so much for visiting here and hope to see you again soon. Please sign up at upper right for notifications of new posts.