Fall color

I'm wondering what this coleus looks like after last night's frigid temperatures. It didn't occur to me to look at it this morning and it was dark when I got home tonight. Guessing it either looks like mush or a bunch of leafless stalks. There was also a beautiful purple potato vine to the right until the deer discovered it.

Its only 3 weeks until Winter Solstice. Happy, happy, Joy, joy! The daylight hours will be stretching out again! Even though my body won't actually start feeling that change until late January, just knowing that the daylight hours are soon to be incrementally longer puts me in a better mood. I don't do winter well. 

tree dahlia envy

Though my tree dahlia is 13' tall, it has nary a bud. It really does not get enough sun and yes, it probably could use a dose of fertilizer. So far, it has not been nipped by Jack Frost.










Angela's tree dahlia is only about 10' tall but has this lovely, lovely bloom plus many more buds. Her's does get more sun but did get nipped by Jack Frost in spite of being next to her warm stucco flavored house. Go figure!

BURP!

This is a photograph of my stomach after yesterday's wonderful Thanksgiving meal at Friend Karen's. I thought I'd filled my plate with demur helpings but once eaten, the helpings felt more like 4 fist-fulls. Oh my! Her son, Brett, had smoked the turkey in the bar-b-q and it was PERFECT; just smokey enough and not too smokey, moist, and super flavorful. Karen had sliced the sweet potatoes and baked them with walnuts and other magical ingredients (sorry, can't remember the details. Brain was in slow mode aka digestive fog), the dressing included mushrooms and pine nuts. There were cold green beans with bacon and tomatoes, smashed potatoes with gravy, cole slaw, whole berry cranberry sauce with more magical ingrediants and then there was dessert! Friend Al had made a wonderful pumpkin cheesecake which he'd delivered the day before owing to previous commitments for Thanksgiving Day. There were also unapproved-by-Jenny Craig choices of pecan pie and ice cream. Nobody was counting points either! Chips and dips and chocolate and crackers and goat cheese and even a little veggie tray were keeping fingers and mouths busy. I'm still full this morning. We are thinking that it really ought to be Thanksgiving Breakfast. Then everyone could spend the rest of the day walking all those calories off. 

succulentaholic

IF you were reading the blog of an organized person there would be a nice & tidy list naming all the plants in the photos. Well, you aren't! I know that the little blue tag belongs to something from Annie's Annuals...hmmm, wonder which something. Oh yes, there are books in my personal library which would tell me who's who (whom?) and what's what but that would mean taking the time to research, and write down, and...well, its just more fun to grow the darn things. Besides, it would get written down and then misplaced, only to surface some day when the kids have to plow through all my stuff after I've been composted, and by then the plants will have been transplanted into other things..maybe the ground even. Yeah, just easier to plant and enjoy.
The middle collection is actually a pre-planted pot from Home Depot. It is nestled in one of those fake urns one can buy at discount stores and then paint with amusement and abandonment. Golly, I do love spray paint!

The bottom photo includes the cool Cheshire cat planter that my daughter bought for me when we went to Mendocino about a bazillion years ago. Its plant is a Lewisia! (found the tag) There is also, in that photo, the ginormous aloe vera that I bought at the 99 Cent Store! And yes, it was dang near this big when I bought it! ('tis a wee bit tattered due to some chicken activity last spring) Anyhow, this is only part of the collection. I am afraid there is more...

Totally off the subject of plant life and spray paint, I am delighted that Fox decided against airing oj's story and book promotion. That is one sick man! I won't dignify him with caps.

I was supposed to play with my new camera but the grismalness of the day (fog. gray. dismal) turned me into a slug that alternately munched through the contents of the fridge and oozed into the cushions of the sofa with the dog and the cat.

Toodles~ 

etcetera

Having fun with new camera! Be afraid. Be VERY afraid.

Autumnal colors

Scarlet the Oak is beautiful this time of the year but then, she's beautiful in her summer greens too. She's not so very pretty in the winter when she's clad in a dull brown though. She has grown at an alarming rate in the 8 or 9 years she's been planted here. She cost a small fortune...then a volunteer red oak came up near by and though slimmer, is almost as tall. And free. (she's the one in the orange/yellow/green duds in the 2nd photo) My brother and I planted Scarlet in memory of our parents...with the thought "its an oak! Nobody will be able to legally cut her down." Flawed, that. She's not a native. Our thoughts were pure.
Still, I hope that whomever buys this place someday does not bulldoze the entire 2.5 acres to build McMansions. Earth friendly "green" homes would be nice, especially if the builder left as many trees as possible. I just can't believe that there are not still folks out there who want a yard along with a house! If people don't want yards why don't they live in condos or apartments? I can't imagine being yardless! 2.5 acres, however, is a bit much.
The fawn was wandering around the yard by itself today. Mom was probably here too but I didn't see her. Note; Deer do not seem to care for coleus, begonias, lamium, kangaroo paw, vinca, iris, ginger, nor canna. Wouldn't it be nice if they "just loved" to eat Bermuda grass?

 

Gotta' love Ikea!

Its SO 60's! Found this at Ikea and just HAD to have it. It gets rather lost in the business of olive trees, pomegranite trees, Sycamore trees...but hey, I like it. Of course, you have to know that I broke one of the red discs off while trying to assemble this thing. It was repaired with "Clear Victory 1991*1A*" which is a strong contact adhesive. The mobil has been hanging outside for a couple of weeks now, in sun, wind and rain, and nothing has fallen off.

The flag looks untidy because it was at "half mast" in honor of Deputy Jeff Mitchell, who was recently gunned down in the line of duty.