my eye has been wandering to all the seed clusters that will soon be covered up with green foliage.  i like the grays and browns of winter, i think it is my favorite palette.  but by march even i am ready for a break.

this came from a landscape planting beside my dentist’s office; i don’t know the name. it will be easier to identify in two months.

saint paul, minnesota

when you live in a very cold climate, winter survival often becomes the only defense mechanism you need.  in complete contrast to our mediterranean environment in southwest france, very few  plants here have thorns, and very few of our bugs are poisonous and, well, we simply have very few reptiles, poisonous or not.  so although this looks like a crown of thorns, it is merely a ring of beautifully gnarled and stunted little twigs, from a land of very short growing seasons.

rice creek regional trail, saint paul, minnesota

for a land-locked girl in the center of a large continent, i sure have a lot of seashells.

almost all of these shells come from one of two beaches:  north captiva island in florida on the gulf of mexico, or the long beach between marseillan plage and sète on the mediterranean coast of france. happy places.

i found this azalea with last years leaves and this year’s buds striking; the curled green-black leaves a perfect contrast to the hopeful golden buds.

from beside the back door to my mom’s house, saint paul, minnesota

our temperatures have been hovering right around the freezing point, which is perfect for icicle making.  the icicles hanging from the eaves of most houses right now are spectacular in both size and shape.  this one, about 2 feet long, came from the eave in front of my sliding glass door.

saint paul, minnesota