I’ve chosen this dying marigold to be the last flower of summer in our back porch garden. My zinnia bush is just about shot, I might get one or two more flowers out of it, but I also need to re-soil and clean the bed out for next Spring – some donkey manure and topsoil.

I gave thanks to the garden for all of the beauty and pleasure it gave us this summer; Maria has become a champion gardener. Her beautiful flowers surround the farmhouse all summer, and her succulents line the windowsills inside for the winter.

She brought her cactuses in this weekend. Also, she’s had one of them for 40 years. And it comes up to my chest. I pick one flower towards the end of October and single it out for thanks on behalf of all of them. Maria and I are creatures of color and light; the dark days bring us down a bit.

I’m counting on my Leica to help keep me bright and creative over the winter. I have a lot of plans for my health and my body this winter. In the Spring, I intend to be a bright flower all of my own.

Flowers remind me that we can die beautifully; it doesn’t have to be all gloomy. Flowers and trees, and leaves know how to die. I learn from them every day.