Days of Cooler Weather...

Dave and I were just talking tonight about how much we love living in a place that has all four seasons...

Really, we have our extremes here, but the constant change is so nice...

Keeps things interesting to say the least...

So here are some pics from this last year from early winter into spring....

Just to get you ready for the cooler weather as we are getting ready to enter into September...

Love seeing twilight...

Especially with naked trees on the horizon...

And those naked trees against a winter sky...

The silence of the winter woods...

Love hearing the whistling wind...

The rustling dead leaves being blown about...

And the lonesome bird calls...

This poor blue jay...

Didn't make it after this meeting with the window...

Kept some feathers though...

Such a shame...

We moved the feeders to keep them farther from the house and windows...

A cardinal's feather in amongst some of the summers plant remains...

Which has become nesting material for the birds this summer...

It's good to not clean up the garden "too" much...

Let nature have her way sometimes...

And a funny picture of a little girl (a cousin from one of the neighborhood kids I think)...

Which blew into our yard (along with a lot of their other stuff that refuses to stay in their garbage can or recycling bin... like homework and school projects - so we know where it comes from...)

Funny because when I picked up the picture, I realized that this girl was in a bathroom next to a toilet...

A small twig that has been embraced by a vine over the growing season...

Both lifeless now, but oh, how interesting...

And let's not forget the ice storms we have...

As long as you can stay indoors and not have to drive anywhere...

And still have power...

They are quite beautiful - encasing everything in a coating of clear ice until the sun comes out to melt everything...

I love how it crunches when you walk on it (in the grass)...

And let's not forget our Carolina Wren that stays with us year round too...

Have got to keep a constant supply of bird seed out for our little feathered friends...

We love having them around...

Enjoy the rest of your summer and your upcoming fall if you are lucky enough to have one!

August Garden Pictures

My garden is in full bloom...

Some things starting to head towards end of the season

(the poppies are gone, but their seed pods remain - Yay!!!)

Here are some pics I took a couple weeks ago...

(Bead Fest had me a little busy...)

How cool is this flower...

Look at the way the petals uncurl and expose the reproductive parts of the flower...

By far, the Zinneas are this years garden winners in being prolific and many...

I must admit I love the petal texture...

The pollen anthers...

And they way that they grow,

which is from the center out,

in layers...

Some are like little flowers within the flower...

Amazing and delicately beautiful...

And this one - how very strange...

It's like curly - and makes me think...

Hey, I can curl my tongue like that... Can you?

(It's a genetic and tongue muscle thing - some people can and some can't)

And I got a shot of the night bloomers...

Just as dusk fell upon us and Dave had Chloe inside for her bath...

And I had a moment of remembering - get a picture!!!

Oh, and I love how the moss is finally starting to take over the cracks in our flagstone patio...

It's because of the part shade location and all of the humidity this summer...

Next year we may be able to walk barefoot on it without getting little bits of the crush & run beneath our feet (the moss will have covered it)...

Some Cone Flowers before they took an end of the season turn to blotchy pink and brown...

And that's about it for now...

I've got some cool pics from yesterday to post,

but want to not overload the blog with a ton of pics on one post...

Besides, Chloe and I have our Friday play date with little friends and want to head out the door!

Hope you are enjoying the last days of summer!

A Gardener's Fantasy Land

I kept seeing ads in Garden Design Magazine or maybe Fine Gardening for:

Terrain At Styers

I've been wanting to get up there in the last year, and a couple of weeks ago, took Chloe on our Friday outing day...

If I had a million dollars, I know exactly where I would be spending a large portion of it...

This place was amazing!

And check out this indoor fern wall...

I so want one of these in my dream garden addition to my house...

Chloe loves the fountains!

No matter where we go, if there are fountains, she has got to get her fingers into them...

And is usually soaking wet after.

Actually, Longwood Gardens has a new children's garden...

And Chloe is getting big enough now to run around there...

Another outing for Mommy and Chloe?!!!

Thanks for stopping by...

And if you have time to stop by either of these places, they are worth the trip (and are close enough to make a day trip out of both places!)