nope, not weird.

and this is just a start…beach rocks, nests, eggs, pine cones, pressed leaves. i might even be able to do this with vine tendrils. which is not weird at all.

a collection of collections

forced

while this feels out of season, it is exactly what was happening on my kitchen counter all week–a gifted planter of forced  bulbs. while the colors are certainly day brighteners and the kitchen smells amazing, i still feel a bit of a dissonance when i look at them and then look outside at two feet of snow and sub-zero temps. i have a thing about harmony. i am drawn to harmonious environments. and tulips in february causes a tiny little glitch in my brain. so i didn’t feel much guilt about sacrificing these to the STILL cause today. you are very pretty flowers, but you are not supposed to be here in minnesota for another couple months.

blanketed by snow

a little time spent under a blanket of snow brought out some interesting colors on these leaves. i wonder if it would do the same for me? i could use a little color.

(unidentified) landscaping leaves in winter

hidden secrets

i bought these scabiosa last fall specifically to dry them because i like their buckyball seed heads. what i didn’t know was the delight i would find on a cold february afternoon after i had uploaded my photos of them onto my imac, and only then noticed the tiny white daisies left behind after their star-shaped seeds had fallen away. however you have to on your device, zoom in on this photo and look closely at one seed-head. daisies in february!

dried scabiosa stellata (pincushion flower)

dried to perfection

every autumn, i fill a few produce bags with handfuls of fall leaves and tuck them to dry in the dark recesses of my basement. i call it my rainy day fund for winter STILL subjects. this bag of smokebush leaves dried beautifully imho. the olive greens, khakis, and dark chocolate (almost black) leaves remind of the rich loamy soil of autumn. i can smell it now, the earthy  scent of decomposing vegetation, duff, perhaps a soupçon of mold. ahhhh, such a deliciously organic scent. these leaves have served their purpose well, i have been temporarily transported to a lakeside trail  in late october. bravo.

dried to perfection