Tomato, Tomahto, Autumn or Fall?

If you want to watch this, remember to turn off my music on the black playlist box in the sidebar, by clicking on the pause button (two small vertical lines).




Like the song, do you say tuh-may-toe or toe-mah-toe?

Then, do you say Autumn or Fall for the third season of the year?

In my neck of the woods, we say Fall. And it's suddenly very obvious why. Yesterday, we still had high 70 temps, a beautiful day, today it's overcast and cool. The house has a chill, and I think it's almost time to kick on that furnace.

I stuck my head out the door this morning and saw leaves on the ground --








-- and leaves beginning to turn color on the trees --



-- and the Virginia creeper showing a bright shade of red.


There's no turning back the clock, Mother Nature takes over from here whether I cal it Autumn or Fall.
Take my poll at the top of the sidebar on the right and tell me what phrase is used in your area.


Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

Thankful Thursday -- A Warm Fall

It's Thursday again, can you believe it? I try to take part in Thankful Thursday each week, which was started by Rhondi at Rose Colored Glasses.
Today I am thankful for the wonderful Fall weather. It's been like this most of the summer actually; 70 degrees and low humidity, my favorite and most comfortable temp. This summer weather has carried right into September, and it's fantastic for any gardener. I can clean up the weeds and deadhead one last time for the first time in many years without wearing gloves and wiping my nose from the cold.


These delphiniums just can't believe it is Autumn. They stand tall in a garden of brown and dried seeds. Their springlike color defies the calendar.



This blue one fell over before I had a chance to stake it. I never thought they would fully go to the blooming stage.

I am thankful for the weather as I dig out and split my many daylilies in preparation for a move to a new house. I don't know where that house is yet, or what kind of garden I will have, but I will still dream and plan, as all gardeners do in the fall and winter.

For more Thankful Thursdays, click on the Daisy on the right sidebar.

Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

AAAHHH!!!! Bees!

I hate bees. I stepped on a yellow jackets' nest in the sand at the beach when I was 5. They swarmed all over my head, and I was stung multiple times in the face and hands, while I screamed and tried to keep them off of me. My grandma picked me up and ran with into the lake and dunked us both under.
What I'm trying to say is I am not in the least interested in bees. I tolerate honeybees only because I've been told they are the good guys.

Imagine my shock and horror when we found this up in the eave the morning of our big sale on Saturday.



Here's a closer look. It was thick with activity. Sorry, we had to spray it. We couldn't allow them to be there as people were going in and out the front door all day.


I thought they were wood bees or carpenter bees but after research on the Internet (shudder) I discovered it is the wrong kind of nest and they didn't look like ours.
I next researched paper wasps, but their nests have open holes. They must be wasps because they have a two part body and they also have a light colored striping. Does anyone recognize this papery nest? What kind are they? Why do I care? I guess I'm finally maturing, and I'm interested in something other than myself:)

Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

Boo Hoo

Boo Hoo, I'm still not showing on Blotanicals. After telling you that all my problems were solved, I find out that one of my previous posts showed up by some fluke, but the last one did not.
So, I'm done with Blotanicals.
As I said in the last post, I will continue to follow my favorites through other areas and I hope you will still visit me. When and if the posts start showing up on Blotanicals that will be fine, but I am no longer going to be active there. It was fun while it lasted.


Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

I Think I'm Okay!

I think I'm okay now. It seems as though I am back on Blotanicals, so I guess this post will be the real test.
Even though I have been not showing on Blotanicals for weeks, I was still able to communicate with my blogging friends through Blotanicals favorites, Google Reader, My Favorites list in the sidebar, and now Followers on Blogger. It has taught me a very good lesson. Not to put all of my eggs in one basket. (Thanks to Lucy Corander at Pictures Just Pictures for the reminder.) The Blotanicals problem forced me to expand my blogging search and I have found new friends in areas other than just gardening.

I expanded my searches to cooking sites, quilting sites, and romantic home sites, birding sites, and art. If you're not exploring the blogging world, I encourage you to do so. You might be surprised at what you find.
Here are just a few of my new favorite sites:



Cottage in the Cedars

Rose Colored Glasses

FFP Quilt Corner

NeedleNecessities

My Birds Blog

Pencil and Leaf


Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

Is Anyone Out There?

Testing, testing, 1-2-3. I guess I'm still having problems at Blotanicals with my posts showing up. I'm starting to wonder if anyone is out there. I'm sure there are lots of you in the same boat, but it's beginning to seem very lonely here.

My hits are way down and so are the comments. I'm sure Stuart is working on the problem; he said it was fixed but there are still some glitches apparently. So until I start appearing on the posts list at Blotanicals, I'll just keep reading your posts. It's a good time to catch up on the backlog....sigh



Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

Thankful Thursday -- Never Forget

On this historic day, what else can be said but "Never Forget"? Today I am thankful for the heroes who live among us.

For more Thankful Thursdays, click on the Daisy on the sidebar or here. Thanks Rhondi!

Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

A Season of Flowers

I've been taking pictures every week throughout the growing season. Here are a few of the shots of my flowers that I took. It was fun for me to see how the garden changed and gives me hope for next spring, even though I will be leaving in another year or two. The garden will always bloom whether I am here or not. I guess, in a way, this is my legacy (unless the next person plows it under!) For now I will only think of the best days and the joy I have had in creating this beauty.



May 2008


May 5, 2008


May 5, 2008


June 13, 2008


June 22, 2008


June 22, 2008


July 3, 2008


July 11, 2008


July 16, 2008


July 16, 2008


July 18, 2008


July 18, 2008


July 19, 2008


July 27, 2008


August 1, 2008


August 12, 2008

September: Now it's time to put the garden to bed. Good Night!


Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.

Don't You Dare Call Them Quitters

I found a few plants in my garden that are daring you to call them quitters, so they can prove you wrong!



There are a few daylilies that just won't give up. Lingering Loveliness, barely hanging on.



Dublin Elaine putting forth her best effort with a few buds to spare.



Susan Weber must have pulled this last surprise bud out of her hat.



These delphiniums apparently think it's spring! Do you see how tall the one on the left is?


With our temperatures in the high 80s and low 90s, they think they can keep right on blooming!!


Th liriope muscari hides down inside the foliage. I think they're pretty just the same.



The Nealy Wild roses are blooming like crazy, when all around them other plants are getting ready for Fall.


And here's something quite surprising! We just happened to notice this little petunia that seeded itself in a crack in the driveway. It's the same driveway that Duane has weedwhacked and sprayed weedkiller on all summer. It's right in front of the garage door and yet we never drove over it or stepped on it!
Besides all of that, this is not the same petunia that I have in my garden this year. It's last year's color!!!
Aren't plants just amazing?

Don't forget to visit An Herbal Bedfellow for healthy recipes made with herbs, and also my newest blog:
Happenstance House -- A journal about my Victorian home and all of it's contents.