Dogwood with book

Beautiful book with beautiful dogwood leaves. The leaves were even more beautiful two days ago, but my camera wasn't working then!

Sunflower head (without petals), tomatoes

These things (sunflower head, tomatoes) landed in my kitchen at the same time, and somehow wound up in a windowsill arrangement together. The sunflower head doesn't have any petals, but,with its dramatic green bracts, it was too pretty to throw away. I put it in the vase facing straight up, which made sort of a nest for the tomatoes. 

Michigan windowsill

Horsetail (Equisetum) collected from roadside in Montague, Michigan. Smaller than any Equisetum I've encountered before. 

white anemones

Now I know why brides love these white anemones with black centers so much: I can't take my eyes off of them. And they seem to be looking back at me! These are leftover from wedding flowers Kate and I did last weekend. I was worried about how staunch they would be, but one of these vases ran out of water and the anemone didn't wilt even then. Thank you Roy Houff for getting them to us in such good shape!

orange ranunculus

Yes, John is painting the house again (hence, all the scaffolding and ladders out the window). Loved this little leftover orange ranunculus with piece of cardboard included in a recent Chinese takeout food order. 

demitasse cup with Pieris japonica

This pretty little cup was a recent gift from a friend who is downsizing. I'm downsizing, too, but I couldn't refuse these! So sweet. And one little twig of Pieris japonica (Andromeda) looks so comfortable perched inside. 

long-lasting Berzilia

This (with the exception of the pear) is what's been sitting on my windowsill since January 6. The plant material in the terracotta vases is Berzilia, something leftover from an event that required florist flowers. I ordered one bunch of Berzilia just because I wanted to see what it looked like. This isn't the gray-flowering variety that's all over Pinterest and every bride in North America now seems to want. Its flowers (which look more berry-like than they do flower-like) are reddish to maroonish and its foliage (which resembles princess pine) is a great olive green. I'm crazy about it and would order it again in a heartbeat, but I may not need to; it seems to last forever!
P.S. The jar of pickled peppadews were a Christmas gift from Rosanne and Jerry Shalf--a blast of red that has also been an unflagging spirit-lifter this winter. I wouldn't dare eat them I'm enjoying looking at them so much!