the thrill of the chill

Even with prolonged heat and dry weather, and even after being uprooted and moved to a place that's not quite as shady as she'd like...my Japanese anemone has bloomed.  Isn't she beautiful?

Japanese anemones are fantastic fall flowers and a nice bit of subtlety next to showy chrysanthemums.  They love the shade and are nice bright spots there.  I bought two plants in the spring and plan to propagate them by experimenting with root cuttings next year.  They'll be beautiful in bouquets!

Still lording it over the rest of the plants in the garden is the non-stop cleome.

I don't know if they're ever going to quit!  I would've cut them down a long time ago, but they're absolutely covered in bees by day and moths at night.  I guess I'll have to wait for the first frost.  Meanwhile, I love going out in the morning and seeing bees snoozing on the long stamens!

Sometimes when I go out, I see something that I wish I hadn't.  Claudia is still bringing voles on a regular basis, which is fine, but twice this year she's also brought song birds.  There are some pretty strong opinions held by some bird lovers, namely that feral cats are invasive creatures and need to be stamped out to protect our native birds.  I personally believe that Claudia has as much right to exist as any song bird, but I still hate going out onto the porch and seeing the remnants of an unfortunate meal.

Fall is definitely coming now.  We've had some beautiful fiery sunsets...

...and the return of another harbinger of fall, the red-wing blackbird.  I've missed hearing their loud conk-la-ree calls, and I'd forgotten how numerous they can be when they flock.  They're hanging out down by the pond (see them among the leaves?)...

...and they take off en masse frequently, startled by some mysterious noise or creature.

They  migrate, so I'm not quite sure why they're stopping here now or where they've been all summer.  I guess I'll be seeing them again in about 5 months!

Mornings and evenings are definitely cooler, and I've pulled out the flannel pjs and some of my quilts.  Unfortunately, our things are still in storage, so I can't do my usual fall decorating.  I managed to pull together a little feel of fall with a storage basket, some fleabane from the fields, and a few miniature pumpkins.

Cats are spending longer amounts of time in sunbeams...

...and the hornets in our nest seemed stunned by the sudden chill.  I haven't seen any activity for days.

Todd and I set up at a toy show yesterday and had fun goofing off during a slow afternoon.  It's the first time I've worn jeans and a long-sleeved shirt since April. 

So many signs...fall is definitely coming!  It's definitely my favorite season by far.  This year is a little tough, since our things are still in storage and we're just too busy to do any real hiking right now, but I'm going to wear my flannels, enjoy regular spicy pumpkin pancakes, and snuggle in my quilts as the weather continues to cool off.  Hopefully we'll get outside before the really cold weather hits!

Have a great week!