The Secret Garden in September: rather wild and overgrown, even with freshly mown grass. It was a strange day yesterday, some rain in the early afternoon, then it suddenly turned unbelievably humid. Walking outside was like being hit smack in the face with a mass of wet air. There was a severe thunderstorm watch, but nothing came of it here. It’s much cooler this morning, thank goodness.
We took our walk under blue, blue skies and wispy clouds. Perfect September weather.
And we caught a quick glimpse of Henry this morning before he scurried off, frightened by some noise. We’re always happy to see him.
Yesterday afternoon, I went outside with my big girl camera and took some pictures. I find the gardens beautiful in their slow decay. I also love discovering insects on flowers and I saw a lot of them yesterday. Like this guy.
I could have spent a big chunk of time out there with my camera, but the humidity and some dark, threatening clouds eventually moved me back inside the house.
I took this picture of the front of the house so you could see how big the limelight hydrangeas are this year. It’s all due to our very wet spring. Some plants didn’t like the excess wet, but the hydrangeas thrived on it.
I’m just about to finish Shakespeare and Company Paris and then I’ll have to decide what to start next. I have a couple of tall stacks of books on the den floor; my To Be Read stacks. (That’s not even including the TBR stacks on the bookshelves.) Nonfiction or fiction? I have no idea at the moment. And no, not Louise Penny. I’m saving that pleasure for later, as I always do.
What are you reading?
Happy Thursday.
I’m reading the Aunt Dimity books. They’re mostly set in the Cotswolds and we spent a week there in May. They’re extremely light and easy and that’s just what I want right now in the midst of the worst part of hurricane season, not to mention everything else!
Sounds like the perfect reading matter for you right now, Cara! Thanks.
Your garden is beautiful and gives off a serene feeling.
Take Care,
Kaye
Park City, UT
Thank you, Kaye!
What a sweet yard! It’s so humid here in OB/..a couple more days of it & it’s supposed to leave us. Whew!!
Am reading A Gentleman in Moscow….veryyyyy long with details, but good…looking forward to something else soon though!!
I loved, loved, loved that book. The details didn’t bother me one bit – I loved the slow pace of it.
We had weather like that yesterday. Beautifully sunny and warm, then cloudy and humid, then the threat of a thunderstorm, that resulted in black clouds and one very loud thunderclap, but no rain, then it turned sunny, then dark again, and the skies opened and it poured all night.
Today, sunny with blue skies.
I’m reading The Salt Path. Almost done. Quite the story. Lots to think about ….
Love your hydrangeas! Mine are still tiny, despite all our rain but it’s only their 2nd year and I may have pruned them a bit too much last Fall!
Have a great day.
X Chy
I never prune mine, if that’s at all helpful. I just let them be, especially as some hydrangeas bloom on old wood.
Loved The Salt Path.
Am reading “Dragonfly” by Leila Meacham. The book is about 5 young Americans as spies during WWII set in Paris. Humidity is really up here. Waiting for Dorian to go pass us tomorrow as a Tropical storm then the weather is suppose to be nice. We had two baby bunnies on our front step the other day. They were adorable. My husband was concerned for them because of our neighbor’s cats. We are hoping that they found a safe place. I wish people would keep their cats in. It is not the hard. We have an indoor cat. Didn’t mean to rant.
You can rant. I have ranted about that very same thing on this blog several times, as our neighbors have outdoor cats and it pisses me off.
How lush your yard looks. In our part of Texas, this time of year features brown lawns unless one waters relentlessly, which I won’t do. We are in another drought, with our high today expected at 103. I am between books, having just finished one and about to begin The Beekeeper of Aleppo by Christy Lefteri. I just finished two books by Mary Robinette Rowan, The Calculating Stars and The Fated Sky. They re-imagine the space program if the earth had been hit by a meteor in 1952. This re-imagined space program takes place amid the gender and racial tensions of the time. While the books might not be literary fiction, I was once a physics major whose physics adviser was beginning to point me toward employment with NASA, so I was primed to be interested. I knew that wasn’t for me and chose English with a concentration in creative writing instead. I found the first book engaging enough to buy the second. A great summer reading experience that carried some oomph!
They sound fascinating, Linda! Glad you enjoyed them!
I’m reading The Bookshop of Yesterdays. It’s too early for me to tell if it will be good or not. I just barely started it last night before I fell asleep. I do like the title though.
I can tell by looking around the woods that fall has arrived. most of the ground coverings have started to change colors. The ferns are dying off. All of the small bushes are pulling back. And the sumac have started to turn their magnificent red. As a rule I do not like fall. Not a bit. I dread what is to follow. To me it signifies the onslaught of colder temperatures that last for 6 months and snow that seems never ending. I try very hard to stay positive, but often do not succeed.
I have that book and couldn’t get into it. I’m not giving up, but I did put it aside for a while.
I feel the same way about winter, but I do like autumn. Fresh, crisp air and golden light.
My Hydrangea looks just like yours. It is about 7 feet tall and the blooms are amazing. They have been the brightest pink I have ever had, and now are beginning that fade into the champagne color that I do so love. It really has been a funny year in the gardens. My Butterfly bush and the Brown-eyed Susans also grew to crazy sizes and the blooms have been plentiful. I guess the wet and cool spring was good for some things.
I recently finished Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane and just started Before I Met You by Lisa Jewell. Before that I read September by Roasamunde Pilcher. I can’t get enough of her writing!!
We have a diamond of a day today ~ 76* and sunshine!! I hope you enjoy a great day as well.
My brown-eyed Susans are everywhere, as well. They’ve really spread and they’re gorgeous.
I love Rosamund Pilcher, though I haven’t read her books in a long time.
We have the same sort of weather. Isn’t it beautiful?
I’ve nearly finished a non fiction book based on a current crime drama series called A Confession. It’s about a mother’s fight for justice. I won’t go into detail as it will probably be on Britbox soon.
I’m looking forward to starting The Familiars by Stacey Halls, I remember you’ve said previously that you’re not really keen on historical novels but this is set only 20 miles from where I live.
In 1612, under the rule of King James, rumours of witchcraft were rife and there was a very famous trial based on accusations not unlike those at least 40 years later in Salem. Sadly the outcome was the same.
By the way, your house looks lovely
It’s mind boggling when you read about the persecution of supposed witches, isn’t it? Horrifying.
Thank you, Dee Dee!
Your hydrangeas look so nice and lush. I just finished reading The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Personally, I didn’t think it was one of her better books and I usually enjoy them. Oh well.
If I want to read any tonight, I”m probably going to need a flashlight. I live in Southeast North Carolina and Dorian is about to hit here in a few hours. We’ve already had tornadoes touch down about a mile and a half from my house. Scary!
Carol
Oh, Carol, we are all thinking of you! Stay safe, my friend, and I pray that Dorian doesn’t do too much damage. xoxo
Carol, I hope you have some deep shelter and feel safe while the storm roars around you. Leslie
Thank you! It wasn’t bad at all. We didn’t lose power or get flooded. Today it is sunny and we were able to pick up the debris in about two hours. Feeling very blessed!
I should say thank you all for your thoughts and concern.
xoxo
Very happy news! xo
praying for your safety!
kathy in iowa
Claudia the house is beautiful. Everything looks so clean and pretty.
Marilyn
Thank you, Marilyn!
Dear Claudia, I love when you ask us this question! The answers are so interesting. I just finished “Blood, Bones & Butter”, which despite its gruesome title ( I am a vegetarian) is an engaging memoir of a contemporary woman who has a driving work ethic, ambition and energy to match, and is a skilled writer. She’s a good cook too (she has a restaurant on the Lower East Side called Prune) but does not include recipes in this book, which I think is a nice touch.
The book I am currently rereading is called “Daily Strength for Daily Needs.” It is a used paper back given to me by a dear co-worker about fifteen years ago. There is a page for each day of the year, with three to six related quotations from authors from ancient times to early 20th century. I have been reading it daily since it was given to me. The pages are separating and disintegrating, so I bought some beautiful journals at Office Depot, and I am now copying the pages by hand, two a day. Reading the phrases slowly, then writing is an exercise in slowing myself down and absorbing the meaning. Love it! I should be done by the end of the year.
Love your answer, Leslie! Thank you for sharing those books.
visually (and because i don’t care for pulling weeds … haha) i like gardens best when they are wild and maybe a bit overgrown!
your home is lovely. and that hydrangea bush … wow!
glad you saw your henry, too. :)
another wonderfully cool morning here was followed by a very sunny, 87-degree day. i liked the morning better … but i am home now and that’s better still. :)
am not reading right now because i am on a knitting kick … but i appreciate the suggestions you and others make about books (movies and tv shows, too). thanks!
hope everyone has a good night.
kathy in iowa
You as well, Kathy!
Loved the picture of your house with your beautiful hydrangeas.
Books… Just finished “Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine” by Gail Honeyman and “my grandmother asked me to tell you she’s sorry” by Fredrik Backman. Enjoyed them both.
Tried to read “The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls” by Julie Schumacher but could not get into it. Finally read the final chapter & returned to the library – would not recommend this one.
I have read several books by Fannie Flagg but my latest library check-out is not as enticing to me, I can’t seem to get involved like some of her other books. “I Still Dream About You”.
Also from the library is “Reading Group Choices 2017”, which I was not aware before that this is a booklet produced each year for libraries, reading groups, and bookstores. Lists of books with basic summary & then conversation starters regarding those books. ReadingGroupChoices.com has current and past years books listed. Never enough time to read all my TBR stack plus library books plus other listings… overwhelming! I am waiting to get Louise Penny’s latest also.
Thanks for sharing these titles with us, Jan! Especially Reading Group Choices, which I would find very interesting!
I am reading Boy Swallows Universe by Trent Dalton. It was given to me by my boss when I left work for long service leave (six months). It is a story from Trent Dalton’s memories of growing up in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. I am finding it enthralling, challenging and enlightening. Trent describes why he wrote it in this article: https://www.harpercollins.com.au/blog/2018/06/26/trent-dalton-why-i-wrote-boy-swallows-universe/
I enjoy your photos of your garden. I love the colours of your flowers, trees and lawns. Thank you for posting them.
Thanks so much for sharing this title! I’m very intrigued by it!
Hi Claudia,
I am just finishing Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane. I am loving it. Intense, moving tale of family, loyalty, compassion and mental illness. This is my first time reading Mary Beth, but her characters live and breathe on the page, and her abilities in navigating around the story of two families is magnificent. Her writing is superb. 50 pages left!
Cindi
Another author I am unfamiliar with – thank you, Cindi1
Your walks sound lovely, with your man, ambling about your property and neighborhood at the start of the day. The photo of the cottage is a beauty! It’s a charming spot created with care. I started the Louise Penney last night–no spoilers!!–and it’s off to a crack start! Into 100 pages before I fell asleep. She’s a treat and I’ve liked the last 3-4 books especially well. I need another good literary fiction author. The one book a year thing is too slow for me! LOL. I haven’t acted on it, but am considering a move towards vegetarian eating. Do you have any soup/stew favorites for fall? Just curious. Have a great weekend!!
We usually buy homemade soup from our natural foods store, so I can’t recommend anything! Glad you’re enjoying the newest Louise Penny, Nora.