Say it with flowers (and photos)

Garden aficionado Bonnie Warwick notes her appreciation for all the submitted flower photos published in The Press over the past few weeks, and she certainly isn't alone in noticing. Many readers have thanked us for sharing locals' floral flair, and the photos are still coming in.

Some have asked why we're doing this. The answer: As with many success stories, this one came about mostly by accident. It started with a photo of sunflowers that a reader submitted, marvelling at the height they'd reached this hot, dry summer. Then someone else sent in a photo of his or her sunflowers, and the game was on.

We've encouraged readers to continue the photogenic petal parade because, frankly, we all have room for more beauty in our lives. When the air is thick with unhealthy smoke, when local arsonists and other criminals make mayhem, when terrorists are attacking innocent people on trains and movie theaters, when the stock market bounces like a super ball, it's especially important to be able to stop and smell the flowers - or look at them, anyway.

So keep sending us your flower photos, readers, and we'll keep publishing as many as we can. But as many flowers are starting to lose a little of their luster, we're prepared to spotlight other delights from Mother Earth. How about your best, largest or most unusual looking vegetables? Share photos of your harvest delights and give us something to publish that's a buffer from all the bad news. Email your veggie pics to Chief Photographer Shawn Gust, [email protected].

Together, we might be onto something here. Let's have fun and explore some beautiful possibilities.