peppers with roots and shadow

And lo! The sun came up in the east and there was the shadow of the roots looking like a star on the kitchen cabinet!

Christmas windowsill

The ferns, pine, camellia foliage, upside down roots, and red anemone were already in the windowsill when Rosanne Shalf arrived with pickled peppadew peppers and a vase of winterberries and paperwhites. Onto the windowsill they went immediately! All so pretty together. Thanks, Rosie!

Mexican marigold roots

I'm so glad I let myself garden yesterday, because today it's too rainy and wet. While tidying up the vegetable garden, I pulled out some spent Mexican mint (aka Mexican marigold) plants. After shaking the soil off their roots, I realized they were too pretty to throw in the compost heap. Very regularly spaced--almost like rays of a star. Hence, this.

ferns and nandina

Fern fronds from a houseplant that was headed to the compost heap, plus one sprig of nandina foliage. That's it.

longevity award

This little concoction has been sitting around on my windowsill since before Nov. 15. I can't remember how long before Nov. 15 I plopped the yellow Echinacea flower into this clear glass vase (with a pretty piece of nandina foliage and some Jewels-of-Opar foliage and seeds), but I know it was before a talk I gave on Nov. 15. The Echinacea flower still looks almost as perky as it did the day I picked it, and so does the nandina and Jewels-of-Opar foliage. Amazing!