flowers — Page 275

The Autumn Garden, Reading & Baseball

October 18, 2013 at 9:32 am by Claudia

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Now the catalpa has begun dropping its big, heart-shaped leaves. It’s usually the last holdout here at the cottage. The weather has been warm, sunny and generally lovely. But last night we got some rain and those who are in the know say we will now be having much cooler temperatures. Ever watchful, I check the predicted low temperature every day. My goal is to hang on to all my plants as long as possible. I do this little dance every autumn. If there’s a danger of frost, I go into a flurry of activity, bringing plants in from the porch for the night, covering those plants in the ground that are still blooming. I’ve already discussed my ‘Plan’ with Don to cover the Chicken Wire Fence Garden and keep it going as long as possible.

I fight the good fight – never wanting to give in and say ‘uncle’ until the last possible moment.

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Yesterday, on a beautifully warm and sun-filled day, we sat for a spell out on the Funky Patio. I grabbed the chair that gave me a prime view of the Chicken Wire Fence Garden. It’s full of blooms; with morning glories and zinnias in colorful profusion. Big fat bumble bees hovered over the galvanized planter, circled around the geraniums and gomphrena. Scout lapped up the sun.

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I remarked to Don that it’s a good thing I planted a later-blooming garden because it not only gives us pleasure, it provides much needed sustenance for bees and butterflies. There’s a heck of a lot of activity around these flowers. I’ve been watching bees dive down into the very center of morning glory blossoms, disappearing for a while, then reemerging to continue the search for another snack.

If I wanted, I could move a chair smack dab in front of the Chicken Wire Fence Garden, watch all the activity and be entertained for hours. Maybe I will.

These are all current photos, by the way. This is how the garden looks at this point in time. There are a few blooms in the garden beds; the limelight hydrangea, some roses and some cosmos are still hanging in there. The sedum is wearing its autumn colors. But this little garden is the star of the show. It’s the grand finale.

I’ve finished Bury Your Dead by Louise Penny and have moved on to A Trick of the Light, the next in the series. Only two more to go after that and then I will have to join all the other fans who found her long before I did and wait until the next book is published. Sigh.

I’m on the waiting list at the library for the newest Lee Child (there are a lot of people ahead of me,) Daniel Silva (a lot of people ahead of me) and Deborah Crombie (first in the queue.) In the meantime, I have review books to read, as well. Don’t forget: I have a book giveaway going on at the moment. Scroll down for the review and leave a comment if you are interested.

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We’ve been watching the Red Sox battle the Tigers. Draining. Exhausting. Tension-filled. Both teams are so evenly matched that it truly is a battle. Sometimes I have to cover my eyes or leave the room because I need a break from all the anxiety that accompanies these games. Last night I walked away for a bit and did the dishes, occasionally calling out to Don, “What’s happening??” Today is a travel day so we get a breather, then tomorrow we are right back at it.

I love October baseball.

Happy Friday.

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Gravity, Leaves and Butterflies

October 14, 2013 at 9:07 am by Claudia

Yesterday, on a whim, we went to the movies. We never go out to the movies; it’s usually too expensive for us. But we wanted to see Gravity in 3D and the matinees at our local movie theater are pretty reasonably priced.

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3D glasses? Check.

Oh my goodness, if you can go see Gravity, do! It is an amazing film and should be seen on the big screen, preferably in 3D. I don’t know if I’d ever seen a movie in 3D before this; if I did, it was long ago. We were on the edge of our seats throughout the movie – it’s truly incredible. Sandra Bullock is wonderful, as is George Clooney. But Bullock dominates, simply because she is most every frame of the movie. Go. You’ll love it.

Another round of raking awaited us when we arrived back at the cottage. Scoutie came out and joined us as we raked up piles of leaves and moved them on to our trusty tarp and hauled them up to the woods. Scout, by the way, is completely back to normal. She’s eating well, loping down the corral hill, barking when she wants something, pouncing, spinning, and being her silly self. We are so grateful.

While I was up in the back forty, I noticed that the milkweed pods had burst open:

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Each burst pod is unique and sort of magical. Go ahead, spread those seeds! We want more here because they bring little wonders like this one, who made an appearance yesterday.

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You must be patient when trying to take pictures of a Monarch Butterfly. You have to move stealthily; better yet, stay still and hold your breath. If it senses your presence, off it will fly, swooping, circling, soaring. That in itself is a beautiful sight to behold. But when it lands on a zinnia and decides to hang around for a while, well, that is simply a wondrous gift from Mother Nature.

Happy Monday.

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A Flower Frog and Some Feathers

October 11, 2013 at 9:10 am by Claudia

Apparently that scamp, little Miss Scout, managed to get on the computer and write a blog post! And then proceeded to answer the comments. She’s a Border Collie, you know; they’re very intelligent. Ah well, it’s good to get a day off from blogging every now and then. Scout as guest blogger – it somehow makes sense.

Also, before I forget, did you know I answer your comments right on the comment page? I think most of you are aware of this, but a lot of you have asked me specific questions lately and I want to make sure you know I always answer them. My answer is always right below your comment. To make sure you see them, you can do one of two things: check back in later in the day and see if I’ve answered, or, and I think this is easiest but that’s just my opinion, check that box right below your comment that says “Notify me of follow-up comments via e-mail.” When I answer your comment, you will get an email with your original comment and my response. There you go! One of things I love about this blog of mine is the dialogue that happens in the comments – it’s a true joy for me. Scout obviously likes it as well. She tells me she had fun answering your comments.

Now. I’ve been collecting feathers lately – here at home and in Hartford. I love bird feathers. But what to do with them? How to display them? They were on top of the sideboard but any gust of wind from the window or the front door could blow them away. I’m too cheap to frame them at the moment and I’m not sure I would want to anyway. So, the other day my eyes lit on one of my flower frogs and I had an idea:

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A flower frog turned feather holder.

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I’m rather pleased with this simple solution.

It sits on the sideboard, along with a piece of brown transferware that holds all my acorns and pods and pine cones. My little nature center.

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I used to have a bunch of wild turkey feathers but somehow I have lost them. We had a lot of turkeys hanging around on our lawn and they left me some beautiful feathers. Where the heck did I put them?

The morning glories are still going strong. I never get tired of looking at them and photographing them.

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