The Rainbow Collection

Okay, so that's a completely irreverent play on the title "The Rainbow Connection", one of my favorite songs, made famous by Kermit the Frog in "The Muppet Movie", but one I nonetheless thought suitable for this post. Yesterday afternoon, while transferring a few (or twenty or thirty) images from my camera to the computer, I noticed something really cool. "Hey, guys, come look at this!" I called to the kids. As they crowded together around the computer, I pointed out my discovery. "See? We have pictures of flowers from our gardens here in every color of the rainbow! Aren't they beautiful?" Here are just a few of my favorites, beginning and ending with white because I just can't bear to omit these pristine blooms:

White: Lilies, finally opening along our front walk.

Red: Yarrow, a brilliant explosion of color at the front of our flower bed.

Orange: Lantana, a sunny surprise spreading in and around a significant portion of Darren's cactus garden.

Yellow: Lemon Queen Sunflower, one of several varieties planted by Dylan.

Green: Poppy flower bud, which my kids think are hysterical. (But if I wasn't so polite, I'd admit that I think they look rather obscene.) Fascinating, they are.

Blue: Bachelor's Button, one of my favorites not only because it is blue (my favorite color), but also because I find it's irregular edges quite striking.

Purple: Penstemon, currently dominating the front left corner of our flower bed.

And finally, a white Shasta Daisy. I can't count the number of times I sneak out during the day just to steal a quick peek at the serene faces of these unassuming beauties. They calm me, instantly.