For a photo-blogger, I sure do deviate from my stated goal of posting new photos.  Howbeit, my friend the ever-musical Melody shared a wonderful piece with me and I wanted to share it with you all.  I've listened to several other pieces by the composer and so far would recommend him.

And - just so this isn't completely off-topic - the music is accompanied by some beautiful floral photographs.  Perhaps this will be motivation enough to finally take my camera out into the garden!

Back in November, we made a trip to a garden center to look at their winter offerings.  Besides the usual wreaths and evergreens, they had a good variety of houseplants.  I went a bit crazy taking flower pictures—it was November, after all!  I especially liked the way the kalanchoe (kal-an-koe-ee) pictures turned out.

What about you?  Have you ever shot flower pictures at the "wrong" time of year?  : )

Well, it's been 11 days since I last posted, and that's because life has been a whirlwind.  Among other things, I partitioned my hard drive and upgraded my Linux Ubuntu operating system manually, and this afternoon played Feste Romane by Ottorino Respighi and Les Preludes by Franz Lizst with my orchestra (I play violin).  Since I love Respighi, I thought I would take this opportunity to embed a YouTube video for my very first time.  : )  I encourage you to listen to the whole piece!

Right now, I'm sitting at my desk, watching the snow pile up and retagging photos.  (I lost my old photo manager when I upgraded my system and with it all my metadata.)  I try to make a point of posting recent photos here to keep myself accountable for taking them, but as I'm watching the snow hit one foot and looking at photos from summer 2009, I haven't the least inclination to post more pictures of snow.  I want to put up pictures of flowers.  Accordingly, it is flowers you get. : )

And, for good measure, one toad.

After all (think I, with a look out the window) spring really is coming!

On New Year’s Day (during a thaw) I went out with a mission: to find as many different green plants as I could.  I barely left my yard,  yet look what I found:

Now the snow has returned, and I look for the color in a landscape that (though lovely) can seem monochrome at first glance.  But these green, living things were under the snow before, and they are still there, still living.  Their condition reminds me of God’s people in the world; no matter how bleak, how dark, how cold the winter of this world, the life that is in Jesus Christ causes them to be green and living.  Do you know this life?

The first day of 2011 closed with a uniquely beautiful sunset.

This can be a year of unimaginable wonder.  God is waiting to reveal himself to us if we will only trust and obey him, and his plans for us are too great for us to understand.  I hope that you will join me in seeking him and discovering what he has in store for the bright, new year.