Blessings to Friends Near and Far

Miscellaneous Pleasant Memories of 2025

Do you designate a folder or a notebook (online or physical) to save pleasant experiences you don't want to forget?

As a blogger, I often set aside photos that capture "magical" moments I'd like to remember. They're hard to put into words or fit into a blog post. I'm sharing a few here that remind me of special days and unique experiences during the past year.

I've placed them roughly in the order they occurred. The first six, including the top photo of the bumble bee exploring White Wild Indigo (Baptisia alba), greeted me on one of those partly cloudy, perfect days in mid-June. The final three are early October memories, when the garden, nature, and local harvests were full, colorful, and plentiful.

There are many more memories, of course, but these were specifically placed in my "Miscellaneous 2025" folder.

A stem of Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea), about to pop and declare the joy of summer.

Blue Flag Iris, at peace within its marshy home. I believe this is Southern Blue Flag (I. virginica), because it displays more yellow on its sepals than Northern Blue Flag (I. versicolor). Both are native here.

A redwing blackbird nestled among the grasses and forbs of its favorite prairie.



Oxeye Sunflower (Heliopsis helianthoides), ready to burst in the warm sunlight.



The solid, yet graceful and fascinating structure of Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis).



Bird's Foot Trefoil (Lotus corniculatus), declaring the growing season extending a bit longer into autumn. Introduced here, this plant can be invasive in some settings. But it certainly is bright and cheery on a warm autumn day.

Locally grown apples (Malus varieties), crowned by a delicious apple cider donut.

And finally, a bright Zinnia bloom (Z. elegans 'State Fair Mix'), started from seed in the sunroom in late March and sparkling through October.

Do you have special memories of gardens and nature from the past year? Please share them!

Peace Lily Cuttings

I have a very simple vase to share for Cathy's wonderful "In a Vase on Monday" meme. These are simply additional cuttings from the Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) that I shared in my previous post. I clipped them to rejuvenate the plant and encourage future blooms in the season ahead. And they were pretty enough to plop in a little bud vase. (As they are poisonous, I've placed the vase far from the reaches of the cat and the dog.)

Sometimes simple things are fun. Check out the other entries over at Rambling in the Garden. Happy Monday!

Winter Fruit in the Snow

A pastoral scene near one of our favorite dog parks, including an ice fisherman

in the distance on a frozen tributary to the Yahara River.

Suddenly...it's winter!

We've already broken two "winter" weather records near Madison, Wis. On November 29, we received nearly 12 inches of snow in 24 hours--the snowiest November day and the heaviest single November snowstorm on record!

And now it's very cold: On December 4, the high temperature was 16F/-9C and the low was around 0F/-18C. While these temperatures often occur in January or February here, they're far below normal for December.

Right after the big snow, I thought I'd go out and photograph some winter fruits--they're so interesting and colorful framed in white. But the bitter cold and heavy snow limited my choices in our garden. So I'm including a few fruits from plants in the sunroom, and another observed during a recent dog walk:



Frosted drupes on Cranberrybush Viburnum (V. trilobum);



A snowy cap for Staghorn Sumac (Rhus typhina);



Wind-scattered Crabapples (Malus spp.) for bird snacks;



Poisonous, drying Peace Lily (Spathiphyllum wallisii) berries, ready to be clipped;



Ripening Fuchsia 'Marinka' berries, almost ready to harvest;



And bright, cheerful American Bittersweet (Celastrus scandens) along the trail.



I couldn't resist sharing this special message created by a fellow dog lover at the park. ❤️

I'm linking in with Jim's "Six on Saturday" meme over at Garden Ruminations.