The outdoors has a wonderful Miss Havisham-like quality to it this time of year. Overgrown, fading mementos of summer fill the garden. But I find myself noticing (and appreciating) the form of every flower so much better now, stripped of color. I picked a few seed pods and ghostly blooms last week and they wound their way into my sketchbook today.

And a bit of good news: The Year of the Book made the 2014-2015 Texas Bluebonnet Award Master List. Thanks, Lone Star State!