Some garden photographs, because anything I might say about this weekend's massacres is what you are already saying to yourself; because I went out last night to watch the band Tal National from Niger and wondered if someone might stop by to murder us all; because loving life is what I can do . . . yours, theirs, mine; tended lives, wild lives.

Sunflowers on the left; tomatoes, peppers, eggplant straight ahead; herbs and greens in the foreground.

 Cucumber trellis, parsley, radishes, dill, arugula, marigolds, sorrel, sage, thyme, rosemary, tarragon.

Another sunflower bed, fronted with cosmos.

The plain-faced little house, with its wild tomato eye patch. You can see the Fred Flinstone front walk, now moderated with creeping thyme.

The house peeking out coyly from behind the sunflowers.

The side garden. I don't know why those flowers in the pot look like Sideshow Bob.