Winter Wonderland

Today, I was in need of starting up Liahona. She has been plugged in for the past 3-4 weeks, but between Christmas and being sick (and the fact that I loathe being cold....it's been between 11-20 degrees for a while here), I hadn't mustered up the will to venture the 20 steps outside to take care of her needs. I think it was the seduction of the thin layer of frost, that snuck in sometime this morning, which actually caused me to break down and head outside. I just had to explore my Winter Wonderland...


These are the sunflowers that inhabited most of our square foot garden this year. I couldn't bear to pull them out, once they had begun to grow. So, I ended up with several different shades and sizes of sunflowers, all the offspring of the collection which had lined my wooden fence last year.

I grow my sunflowers for my oldest daughter, because they remind me of her. I also grow them to feed the 50 or so birds that frequent our backyard (mostly finches). I usually cut them down in the late fall and lay their heads on the gardening shelf, but I didn't want the neighbor's kitties snacking on our birds (the shelf makes for an easier target), so I left all of the sunflowers standing....and I was so glad I did. Aren't they gorgeous? Even after they have been admired, utilized, loved, and left to die as all annuals must...never to return, they are still absolutely beautiful.


These are my ladies in waiting...see how the one in front has her right hand on her hip and her head tilted a little?


Her crown is all sparkly, bejewelled in tiny crystals....



Her sister is holding her left hand across her chest and has her head lowered...she's a bit bashful.


I noticed the sunflower leaves that were left behind...great texture and I love the colors...a palette of rust and shades of sage green.


I know that it is probably sick and wrong that I love dead and crinkly leaves, but I do.


This was an icicle hanging off of my gardening shed...




...and this is our cherry tree behind it, all freshly frosted in snow.





This hydrangea was once light green, then pink, and finally a light rust....covered in a sprinkling of winter dust.


I love the pastel bokeh behind this well-preserved pinky.

And the devotion that my wisteria and this rogue vine have developed over the past 3 years just melts my heart.



I love the smell of our Russian Olive in June....and their berries are magnificent in January!




Yeah. I thought it was some poor, unlucky animal at first, too....but, it isn't.




It's really just a gardening glove that got tossed into the bushes sometime before the cold set in a few months ago...poor fellow.
Wonder if his mate has missed him these past months?



This watering can is patiently hibernating out with my herb boxes.

I was too wrapped up in taking care of Liahona to get my annuals moved inside before the first frost, so it will be interesting to see which ones survived.

Isn't this absolutely beautiful?

I am a lover of rust, especially if it is contrasted with an interesting pattern snow....

Obviously, I wasn't kidding when I said that I am a lover...I took a few of my garden shovel (as you can see).

(IMPORTANT SIDENOTE: I just have to say that the only reason the flat shovel isn't properly stored right now, is because I have been using it to remove some of the ice off of our drive....I would hate for anyone to report me to DTPS ~Department of Tool Protection Services.)

Have you checked out YOUR Winter Wonderland lately?

Hope you are all having a lovely winter, planning for all of the splendid wonders you will be beginning in a few months. :)

~.~the purple sprout