more decay

COLD-STRESSED PLANTS are one of nature' pearls. In their distress to adjust to cold, wind and wet, show their most beautiful colors as they decay toward dormancy.

More colors than a painting could boast. 

autumn beacon

MY JAPANESE MAPLE, little Osakazuki, (literally "sake cup shaped leaf") is one of my great joys. It's a sturdy little tree, still in its half-barrel container because after years of half-assed pruning experiments, it has remained small, and sadly misshapen. Nevertheless, even in this blurry photo, you can observe why it's one of the all-time faves of acer palmatum collectors.

goblin-y greetings!

HAPPY HOWLOWEEN! Who can forget my favorite holiday? Not Ophee or me!! She had a little matching Cat-in-the-Hat hat, but I didn't get a decent picture. poo. BOO!

beautiful decay

FORGET ABOUT SUNNY daffodils, or neon tulips. Although I enjoy them, the rusty colors of autumn are what make me swoon. Here's my little sugarskull with drying hydrangea heads. I love them together because they are the same colors.

fall harvest

JUST ONE BATCH of gorgeous veggies from Ken and Yvette's garden. They got me started this year, and I harvested my first tomatoes, "Chocolate Cherry" tomatoes, truly taste like candy.

almost autumn

HYDRANGEA "BLUSHING BRIDE" is starting to turn every color in the book.  Of hydrangeas.  :B

now it's hot

ALMOST TO OCT and we're having the 90s more typical of june and july. My shady back area— I've had an inspiration. The soil on either side of path is GREAT. I need to get some plantings in, and paint the back wall, and enjoy a shady path to the BirdGarden™.  Thanks to my talented sissy and landscape designer, at r o o s t™.

lazy grasshopper

I'M A GOOD FER nuthin' blogger. I have too many started, and don't stay current with them. I love BeeBook, so I'll keep it going, and I have a couple art-related ones started in WordPress, too, and I may delete one. Here it is almost 2 mos since last post. Sigh. The upside is I've been out there enjoying the bees instead of sitting inside. More pix of the farmlet and new developments upcoming. :B

summer lily time

AS THEY SAY, a pic is worth 1000 words.
The fragrance when I pass by these in the evening is bliss.

ophee is good

A MIRACLE occurred—Ophee's little shattered ankle healed up. It has a big bumpy bone mass protecting the previously broken area, but she's doing fine, running and jumping with the other hounds. I think it must ache now and then, with barometric changes, like my ankle does. <:

lilies are coming

HERE THEY COME, with the warm nights and hot days, my lilies, which I adore, if not for their beauty, then for their heady fragrance. I need many more. These brave souls made it over from Bothell, and through last winter, and are doing fairly well their first year. I think next year they will sport many more blooms though.

clemmy came back

DAD'S LITTLE CLEMATIS out on back of the turret has come back in full force. It just needed a little TLC. I hope Dad gets to enjoy it. I like to think of his spirit wandering around the yard from time to time. He is so missed by both Ter and me.

roses & peonies

A GORGEOUS ARRANGEMENT from the flowers outside my door. Poppa's peonies and my Pat Austin rose.

catchup info!

IT'S HARDER TO post in the summer, when there's so much going on: planting, pruning, etc etc. I'm also cleaning out the Foundry, and Terrie helped me start this darling little patio, in the Bird Garden. It will be finished in the next week or so. Gonna be very nice out there.

baby birds due

I'VE GOT A NEST out back with sparrows, VERY bizzy with their chicks in there, under the eaves of the little barn. But out front on the deck, I have a mama robin. I thought I was going to have a wonderful nestful of robins, right here on my front porch. I'm a little worried about her—and 'fraid the dogs and I may have scared her off. Also, when I was in the Foundrie today, there was a pair up in the rafters, and they wouldn't leave, so I left the garage door up so they could get out. I'm concerned it may be the porch couple, looking for quieter corners.

don't hate me...

BECAUSE I'M BEAUTIFUL. My Acer Shirasawanum "Autumn Moon" (left) is partially covered, on top, by shade from the red oaks. So the bottom is more stressed from afternoon sun (soon to be moved!) and the effect is a gorgeous gradation from lime to orange-red.

a little badge

I like.

my poor ophanutz.

OPHEE WAS HIT by a car two days ago, and lived to tell the tail. Her left ankle has a bad break, and is splinted. The vet may need to pin it if it won't heal well. I'm so glad she's still here. I mean, just look at her!! What a darling and stoic little friend I have.

alright!

TERRIE CAME OVER this weekend and wow, did we make some changes! Cleanup, painting, and planting. It goes to show that a weekend of work, esp if I have help, accomplishes a lot. Will post pix tomorrow.