Showing posts with label dahlias. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dahlias. Show all posts

Monday, October 9, 2023

still the best

 This has been a week of stills.


I'm still getting lots of flowers from the garden.


Still waiting for some serious leaf color.  We've got some stabs of effort, but mostly a whole lot of green.







It's still the best time of the year for berries!

blackhaw viburnum

dogwood

bittersweet

hawthorne

unknown

Still getting those amazing fogs with heavy dew, too.




🎵 It's the mo-o-o-o-o-o-o-st wonderful time of the year!  🎵

Todd enjoying the leaves in 2014

Have a great week!  







Monday, November 7, 2022

the boop troupe

November!  Some mornings are delightfully foggy...




...and sometimes, the heavy dew makes beautiful jewelry with the many spiderwebs that are still around.





We've had incredibly windy days that blow the leaves sideways...


...and spray the water falling from our downspouts.


A few days ago, the wind snatched away the last of our front bush leaves, exposing the red berries. I'd hoped to bring them inside for Christmas decoration, but they're highly toxic for cats.  I'm going to cut some branches and make a wreath for our front door!


Fog, wind, and rain, and so warm that many flowers are starting to blossom again.  I can't complain about open windows in November!  


The warmth has helped to prolong the leaf color in some instances.  I'm still able to pick plenty of small bouquets.


Perfect weather for yard work.  I got my dahlia tubers dug, dried, and wrapped...now I'm in the process of cutting down the dead stalks in the flower beds. Claudia keeps me company...


...and the horses across the street are blowing and chomping,  getting good grass before the freeze.


Halloween has come and gone.  We made it through our scary movie marathon and enjoyed some  "vampire bite" cupcakes...


...and kept the party going with a National Donut Day mini-celebration on Saturday!  

recipe from Sally's Baking Adventure

Borga spends most of her time napping.   


She's not a romping young pup anymore!


The kittens, though, still have their young-cat energy.  They spend most of it loving on each other (and us!).  It's pretty much a kitten lovefest around here 24/7!





Calliope is still not amused.


Real cold weather is coming next week...hooray for winter!

Have a great week!

Monday, October 4, 2021

red snake keepsake

It seems like we've got a lot of creatures here who are "making hay while the sun shines."  Grasshoppers are still whirring in the undergrowth or crouching motionless, torpid in the hot sun.


It's a great comfort when I consider the tangled mess that I've cultivated out back, knowing that at least I've created a massive food source for so many little creatures.




My little jungle is still producing pumpkins...


...and amazingly, dahlias...although I didn't prune, stake, or feed them.


The dinnerplate dahlias have collapsed under the weight of their massive heads, but they can still be salvaged.


The smaller dahlias have such a tight, tidy petal formation.  It's very appealing!


So lovely!


In the dark of the early morning, I hear barred owls calling, "Who cooks for you?  Who cooks for yooouuu?"  A few hours into daylight, the turkeys add their chorus.  Our back field is a popular hang-out spot, and we've also noticed them on a side slope.  We counted close to 40 turkeys - in one day! - last week.



After a summer of silence, we've started hearing coyotes yowling at night. Yes, the season is marching on!  Sunrises are suddenly more saturated with color...


...and the deepening reds of our apples is a reminder that we should pick, pick, pick before it's too late.



I'm bringing the season inside, with little touches like tiny felt pumpkins...


...and wreaths made from my garden flowers, dried.


We are starting to see a bit more color in the leaves, although the weather isn't really cooperating (still in the 80s this week).  It is really starting to feel like fall, and I'm contemplating several cold-weather projects, like this brilliant embroidery piece by artist Yumiko Higuchi.

photo courtesy of Yumiko Higuchi

Todd and I are both looking forward to a peaceful and productive October.

Have a great week!