Fall Decor

The roses are blooming on in the yard and I picked a few, added some rosemary, and a few fallen leaves and mums. Lovely!








I have been admiring this tree for years and finally decided to capture it in a picture. It is so beautiful in the fall colors.








Mom has done some lovely counted cross-stitch pictures and we like to change them with the seasons. This one with the foxes has a story that goes with it. I started this picture about 25 years ago... finished about a third of it, and put it away, thinking I would get back to it. Mom found it recently, and decided to finish it for me. So it was a joint effort, and only took many years to complete. I love it! The colors are perfect for the dining room.



The second picture depicts fall scenes, and always makes me smile, thinking of everything that goes on in just a few months. The time flies by so quickly; it's good to savor every minute. I'm thankful for so many blessings.

Pillow Cases & a Chickadee

Whew! It is HOT here. A good excuse to stay inside and sew! Pam & I wanted some more summery pillow cases, so last time we were together we went to the fabric store and picked our favorites. Pam likes the brighter colors and the retro look, and I went for muted and the garden connection. I love doing these with a contrasting fabric for the ends. I did two cases for Pam and two for me, plus a travel-sized case for me as well. They turned out great. Mom says she wouldn't mind having some more as well... back to the fabric store; love that place.

I caught this cute chickadee resting on my tomato cage in the garden. I love the birds, and have two feeders out. One has niger thistle in it and the gold finches love it. The other has a no-mess mixture, which means the seeds don't sprout in my lawn. We get a good variety of birds to this one, including red-winged blackbirds, brewer's blackbirds, sparrows, chickadees, house finches and doves. We also have ground-feeders... robins, grosbeaks, and the occasional quail. There is something very relaxing about sitting on the patio with an iced tea or coffee, watching and listening to the birds. Once in awhile O'Reilly will half-heartedly give chase to the ones on the ground, but he's only doing it for show.

Latest Finds

This was a find from a thrift shop. It was an ugly silverish metal, and only cost a few cents. I used some old acrylic paint I had, which was a bit thick, but since I was going to place this outside, I decided it didn't have to be perfect. After painting it all white, I then used the light blue on the embossed part and the handles, then brushed it again with the white paint. I think it looks great! Especially with the flowers. The purple flower is a verbena and the other one with tiny pink flowers wasn't marked when I purchased it, but I think it is a form of baby's breath.

This planter looks good with the pot that has the begonia in it. By the way, the begonia is still alive and this is one of the blooms. I am very pleased and hope it stays healthy. We have been having a heat wave here for the past week or so... today it is 93 degrees, and that is cooler. Whew! The roses are loving it though. My sister-in-law in Kansas sent me a picture of her beautiful rose and I was thinking I would love to see some of your roses or beautiful flowers if you would like to send them to me. Just leave a comment on this posting.

I try not to purchase new vases unless they are unique and something that I love. I saw the possibilities of this one and couldn't resist. It is quite small and I usually have it on my kitchen windowsill, so I see it often and it cheers me each time I look at it. It is a way to display the smaller miniature roses and some of the herbs from the garden, including this lavender, sage, oregano, mint and rosemary. The little gold flower comes from a plant that was given to us by a neighbor. I don't know the name of it, but it blooms all summer and is very bright. This vase ensemble is all connected, so you only have to water one, and it flows into all. Nice concept.

The Garden

I am loving being outside. The weather has been perfect; sunny and warm, with a bit of a breeze. This is how the garden looks now if I sit on the patio and enjoy it.
Another view is this clematis, which I'm not really crazy about, but it is the one out of three I planted over the years that survived! It is white, and the blossoms are kind of small... boring. But, it is covering the trellis and doesn't look too bad.
O'Reilly likes being outside with his "bed"... which he thinks is a giant chew toy to gnaw on and dig at. He doesn't sleep in it. Do you ever wonder what dogs are thinking? He loves his toys and being with his people in the yard. He passed his Intermediate Training class. We are taking a break for the summer now, and will hopefully improve on what we have learned so far. It is quite a time committment, but worth it. Still... it is summer.
The roses are wonderful in a bouquet in the house. This rose is called Rio Samba, and I added some of the lavender from the back yard, some varigated sage, and a few branches from a bush behind the shed. Smells really yummy.

Strawberry Pie and Lavender

Here's the fresh strawberry pie. I just had enough berries left after the freezer jam. Pam and grandson Daniel are coming for a brief visit tomorrow, so will try to resist this until they arrive. Looks like the hens are watching it for me.

This lavender is from a bush by the front door. It is white lavender, and it seems to me it was white last year, but now it looks pale pink to me... Hmmm. Anyhow, it is beautiful and smells wonderful.
The view of part of the garden has another lavender bush on the right, but it isn't blooming yet. The bush in the center is a Rosemary bush. A start was given to me by Charlotte. It has gotten huge, but I love clipping sprigs for fresh bouquets, and it smells good too. Rosemary is for remembrance and whenever I smell it, I think of my friend Charlotte. On the right is the David Austin rose that I showcased earlier and used for greeting cards. I bought this rose at the Farmer's Market from a local grower. It was tiny, but had a perfect little bud in bloom, so I knew it would be beautiful. It has thrived for the past 4 or 5 years, and now is very showy and one of my favorite rose bushes this summer.

Flowers, Finds & Fitness

The roses are all popping out! They are gorgeous and I have to share some of them. The yard is scented with their fragrance and I can lose myself in looking at their beauty. The sun is shining, there is a little breeze, the birds are chirping, and O'Reilly loves being outside with Mom and me.
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While visiting the farm again recently, I found this enamel ware-pot in a shop and couldn't resist getting it for flowers on the patio table. O'Reilly was "helping" me, and was very interested in the process... especially the dirt part and the watering part. Oh my. It looks kind of good, and I think when things grow a bit it will be even better. I put begonias in, and some trailing lobelia. I never have very good luck with begonias. I think I either over water or under water. Anyhow, they mostly die after a few weeks. I am hoping these will thrive.
Mom and I were at our fitness center early this morning to do exercises in the pool. The exercises help Mom to strengthen her back, and it's good for me too. Our pool is pretty warm, which helps... the water feels like velvet moving across your skin. We are lucky enough that most days there are only 2 or 3 other people in the water. Sometimes we have the whole pool to ourselves and that makes us feel rich and pampered.

Rose and O'Reilly

The roses are finally blooming and I love this David Austin rose so much that I have made greeting cards with it. They will be on the etsy site soon. Roses have always been a part of my garden. I think I inherited the love of them from Mom. At times we have had upwards of 50 rose bushes in our yard. I think the count is around 30 now. They are so beautiful and make wonderful cut flower bouquets. From now until November they will bloom, giving off a yummy scent as well as their variety of colors.


O'Reilly is still growing I think. Here is a picture of him after the last training class... he is curled up at my feet while I work on the computer, and is one pooped pup! Right now he is curled up on my lap. Puppies sleep a lot. He's all warm and cozy and has his little nose tucked into the crook of my elbow. It relaxes me to have him here and I suspect it is lowering my BP as well. What made me think I could get along without a dog in my life?

Photo Cards

I'm thinking about the Etsy site and will be offering these greeting photo cards and many more. They are blank inside, waiting for your special message and there will be envelopes included of course. I love photographing flowers and my kids are always telling me to stop, and take pictures of people! I do that too, but the beauty of flowers from my garden and scenes from my travels should be preserved I think. What better way to share them than with a greeting card?

The flowers are roses and iris from the garden and the shore cards are shells, rocks, a pier and a lighthouse.

Friends and Flowers

A friend that I have known since high school asked for more garden pictures. I love the garden, and try to spend lots of time out there; weeding, cutting back, planting, dead-heading, and generally tending. I have a lot of perennials, and they bloom at different times, so there is always something to admire. A few annuals here and there, and in containers is fun.
I also love just sitting and enjoying the flowers and birds while O'Reilly runs madly about or sleeps at my feet. A cup of coffee or a glass of iced tea... or lunch on the patio with Mom makes it practically perfect. It would really be perfect if my friend could be here for lunch as well!

Garden and Friends

The iris are beautiful, the yard looks good and the new fence makes a great background. A few months ago a powerful windstorm took it's toll on our fence in the back yard and we decided it was time to replace the old thing. As often happens, it was one problem after another... first the fence, then the I went to get ice cream from the freezer and found it was soup! A week or so after the new freezer was installed, the dryer stopped working. I always think things happen in 3's... so hopefully this is it for awhile.
A friend and I visited another friend in the hospital yesterday. We hadn't seen him in awhile, and it was hard to see the effects of his illness. We visited a bit, prayed with him, and left flowers from the altar at church. It seems that we are at the age when friends and family are suffering illness, disability, and even death. It is sometimes hard and always makes me think of my own human frailty, and that of the ones I love. The garden renews me and gives me hope. The beauty of nature has always been a source of strength and faith.

Spring Chores

Time to turn on the sprinkler system and survey the damages... after having a new fence installed in the back yard, we were afraid things were in a mess. Husband donned the proper gear for sprinkler blow-outs and set to work. Thankfully it wasn't too awful, and now the water is available to the garden and lawn. I picked a huge bouquet of iris and columbine, adding a few sprigs of rosemary... smells so good! Trying to weed a little each day, to prevent sore muscles. Not as young as once was. Sun is shining and balmy breeze is blowing... what a life!