acer sangu kaku in all its glory in front of my neighbor's dilapidated shed close up of sangu kaku

my husband, the ski hooky instigator

the magnolias were about to bloom when we were in sf over the holiday. i'm not sure which red variety this is, but i know i cannot grow it in my zone 6 garden.

the ice skating house at the local pond, which has not opened this winter tree trunk in the woods

back in sf, a blazing phormium set off by a geranium

a bird of paradise flower

playing hooky yesterday

back in sf, jasmine buds are waiting for a warmer day to bloom and the camellias are strutting their stuff

polite beggar outside my office window the difference between my two dogs: the whippet thinks i'm a heated dog bed, the poodle thinks i'm god

close up of a lichen, part of the winter landscape that reminds me of butterfly wings in summer sweet autumn clematis seeds in december

more shots from sf, here a hibiscus just opening... and i've no idea what this is, perhaps a broom?

i found this lonely fellow on a christmas day walk in the woods experimenting with the new lens

happy new year! for christmas, my hubs gave me a 60mm close-up lens! i am just learning to use it to the best effect. let me know if there are too many close-up photos. we visited family in the sf area, and the hotel has a garden with roses mightily resisting the uncharateristically cold (low 40 f) weather:

merry christmas! this is joe joe when he was a pup in 2000. garden fool will be on vacation until next year, so happy new year!

my dear joe joe suffered bloat over the weekend, had surgery, and now seems just fine. whew.

our christmas tree this year

luna snuggled up on the window seat by the christmas tree

i made a squash snow person

curly larix (larch) is seldom graced by both leaves and snow

the sciadopitys held tufts of snow like flowers

the poodle loves the snow