Here are a few of my favorite fall combinations. Hope you enjoy.
'Angelina'
Sedum rupestre
Dolce® Mocha Mint®
Heuchera hybrid
Coral Bells
Soprano® Light Purple
Osteospermum hybrid
Osteospermum
Graceful Grasses™ Toffee Twist
Carex flagellifera
Toffee Twist Sedge
Efanthia
Euphorbia amygdaloides hybrid
Wood Spurge
Dolce® Creme Brulee
Heuchera
Coral Bells
Garnet Brocade™
Sedum hybrid
Stonecrop
Did you hear the latest? We're suppose to be able to jump 15 feet and run at 15 mph. We're also nocturnal and very territorial. We're not even suppose to like each other unless we're dating. We like forest, swamps, thickets, bushes---who would have known? Are they talking like normal Eastern Cottontails or those of us made in factories? I just don't see how we are going to jump some 15 feet? Who is making this stuff up?
Well, we won't worry about too much right now....our picture is being taken and soon they'll want our autographs. After all, we don't reproduce out in the open like most in our family. What I really want to know is if turtles can spit that far and for that long. That one over there has been at it all day.
They were all in the water until that man showed up and started talking to them. He's telling them about other ponds he's seen and visited. That's just rude to fill them with hope like that.
She's a gardening bunny. She's trying to explain to the little yellow bird that those blue eggs belong to another bird.
These two are best friends. One is dirty and the other clean. We've never seen them fight about it though. We have noticed they eat a lot. I bet there have been 100 or more different plants on that table just today.
If you want to see more bunnies and fun stuff----take a look at The Last Straw in Blowing Rock, NC.
During the mid 1800s, Captain Joshua John Ward ferried rice and other plantation supplies up the inter-coastal water ways. He slept on a mattress filled with wetland grasses. It was terribly uncomfortable and hot. Surely he could come up with something better so he created the rope hammock. It let air flow under and around and dried out easily so it was always fresh and inviting. This is how the Pawley's Island Hammock was started and is hand woven still today just as it was by riverboat captain Ward. You can visit Pawley's Island Hammock Shop and enjoy seeing the hand woven process by the skilled weavers. We were there on our recent vacation. I enjoyed talking with the local shop owners who have set up around the hammock shop. It is a very quaint village to stroll about.
You can see them online at The Hammocks Shop
Inside the main store are hammocks to purchase and many other island crafted goods. Or if you like, you can spend all day lounging around in the many hammocks on display around the village.
This is one of the head weaver gentlemen. He was very quick and skilled. He would take the long scuttle needles and get in his rhythm. Before you knew it, the hammock was a masterfully done piece of island art. It's just as pretty to look at as it is comfortable to lounge the day away in these crafted retreats.
The walls of the weaver's room are decorated with the famous and not so famous who have purchased Pawley's Island Hammocks.
Here is one of the not so famous sleeping while I shop.
I was in the Audubon shop looking at nature of course. It's best to keep him happy while I'm spending his hard earned dollars.
It wasn't crowded that day and the weather was perfect.
It's a pretty place little village with all the moss hanging from the trees and the island marsh breezes add to the atmosphere. It's not a fishy smell but a musty scent. I like it cause it has so many memories attached to it.
We always stay at the Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort just a half mile or so up from these shops. It's a very wide and clean beach with white soft sand. This trip we stayed at the Summer House but often we have family with us and stay at one of the golf villas. There is easy beach access from anywhere at the resort and I wish I was sitting there now.
This is the fine job I did patching up my knee after an almost fatal run in with the bottom of a chair. My desk job husband nearly fainted as he held my knee after it first happened. We were both in shock and thought I was surely breathing my last ounce of life. I was pale and so was he. I cried my eyes out for 10 minutes and wouldn't look at it. My husband elevated it, with my hand still covering it, and ran to get rags--buckets---wash tubs---claw foot tubs---rain barrel tubs---and lastly---the town water tank.
We maybe got 14 drops of blood but seeing it at the bottom of the town water tank put the situation in to perspective. That is until I took my hand off my throbbing knee cap----then my husband let out a groan that sounded like a cow giving birth to a elephant. I was not going to look then for sure as the fear had occurred that my kneecap might be missing or worse yet, the whole bottom half of my leg.
He said it was deep and that we needed to get me to the hospital emergency room. I became very faint from the shock and loss of a teaspoon of blood. Good grief it hurt. We were recovering a chair for my best friend. It has a swivel metal base with 5 feet supports. Right now they look like shark fangs. But normally they look like swivel rocking chair feet.
We were in the last leg of the upholstery project and applying the skirt when he and I both decided on new positions. He moved the chair and I moved myself and the results were better than Phelps winning his 8th Gold medal. My husband tore off his clothes and ran naked through the streets with agony before returning to my side to support me. I had grabbed my knee and used every foul language word I could muster under such distress.
He looked at it and told me how deep the gash was and his face was distorted and full of fear. It was like we were saying goodbye to one another. Finally, I got a good wiff of my senses and sat up to brave the consequences. It still hurt like mad. It's like hitting your funny bone times 100.
What I saw was a measly flap of skin turned back a bit and a few drops of blood trickling out every now and then. I laughed and he thought I'd gone mad from lock jaw setting in. I assured him that it hurt----it was no ones fault---and that I could fix what had now become a boo boo. We set the water tower outside that contained the 14 drops of blood and then I told him what we needed to do for the doctoring part.
I sent him off to buy steri strips and peroxide. He came back with major medical supplies and jar of hard liquor. We don't drink but it's what southerners do in an emergency---you keep a bottle of white lightening around for comfort. It did sting as we bandaged it up but I think I'm going to live.
Here is the chair--fangs and all. We went on to finish it after the tide went back out and the floods receded.
But worse than all this is how the insect world took advantage of me being in a wounded state and all. Word spread quickly and look what they did to my pumpkin vine. The maters did what they do best and rallied around me with a bountiful show of appreciation. Fist though---this.....
Fortunately the maters love me---
I am in awe of the beautifully detailed colored pencil prints by Teresa Pennington . She is a self taught artist who claims her talents were God given. A proceed from many of her prints go to preservation efforts of North Carolinas natural and historical locations. Not only is she known as the Artist of the Blue Ridge Mountains but she is also the artist for the famous Biltmore House in Asheville.
She is gracious and humble along with a charming personality which exhibits a down to earth approach to life. I ask her recently what it felt like to be her. She recounted a story about meeting a man who had collected her first pieces. She says she would gladly buy them back from him and replace them with her more recent work. She says she can't believe someone would want to buy her first attempts. And she says that she still can't believe people want to continue to buy them. She really is appreciative of her God given talents and doesn't take them for granted.
I am collecting the Blue Ridge Parkway 75th anniversary series. I have the Grandfather Mountain Overlook from that series which is the second of four total. Hopefully, my husband is considering the first, Richland Balsam Overlook, in the near future. We also own Camp Daniel Boone. Please visit the T.Pennington Art Gallery Site and learn more about this gracious person.
I was in Blowing Rock, NC today at the art festival picking up my giclee print. The print between our heads is the smaller one I ordered. Mine was all packed away and I didn't want to unpack it for the journey home. I will showcase mine in a few days hanging proudly over my bed. It is called Grandfather Mountain Overlook and is print number 2 of a 4 part 75th Blue Ridge Parkway anniversary series. The print just to the left of my head is the first in the series and the same size as the one I just purchased. Print number 1 is called Richland Balsam Overlook.
This is Teresa hard at work on an order. Her booth was very busy. It is always a favorite at any show she attends. Please visit her site to see her gallery at 15 Main St., in the town of Waynesville, NC.
As long as my memory will go back, I've been taught that the first of August is the beginning of Autumn. That's just how we say it too----The Beginning of Autumn. It might require you to wear something long sleeve at night and run the air conditioning at the same time inside. We also celebrate..The Beginning of Winter and Spring. I see the signs all around me announcing the beginning of each season because my great aunt religiously pointed them out to me. Night time temps are one of my first favorites but the sun is the most obvious. This year it was most obvious first with the change in light and intensity of the light. The light has a orange pinkish glow. It comes across the land differently. You not only see it but feel it on your skin differently. The clouds reflect the light with a noticed softness. There will still be warm days but the nights are much cooler. The two changes start a process in the trees that stop chlorophyll production. These teachings I received as a child are not religious to me although they are used for very religious worship purposes in China and other cultures. Having this knowledge drives the futures markets and feed prices. Markets and money makers know when the harvest will come and watch every sign they can to work the system.
I learned it because my family were growers and reapers. It was important to know when to harvest a plant. It could mean too much or too little maturity. Moisture content played a major role at market. That would affect the price. My family was mostly furniture builders and knew a great deal about the quality of lumber and timber products. So...they grew both edible crops and usable lumber.
Depending on a wet or dry summer will dictate the colors of fall. A dry summer means less green chlorophyll in the leaves and the other colors which are yellows and oranges/reds are more dominate. When the chlorophyll quits being produced at the beginning of Autumn, the other colors that were always there start to show their brilliance. Now once fall has started and the color begins to change, a tiny group of cells affected by the position of the sun in the sky will start to die. When those cells have died completely, the green of chlorophyll is absent and the leaf is officially dead. The death of the cells holding the leaf to the tree causes the leaf to fall from the tree-----that is where the name Fall comes from. The length of Autumn color depends on how much rain the region receives. Lots of rain will cause the leaves to fall off too quickly because the row of cells holding the leaf to the tree is fragile at this time of year. It can not withstand a heavy rainfall. So to sum this up, less rain in the summer means a prettier fall because of the lack of chlorophyll and-----less rain in Autumn prolongs the color allowing the leaf to stay on the tree longer and letting the yellows and oranges/reds show through.
Fall or Autumn as I prefer to call it, is widely accepted as coming on September 22. For me though, September 22 is the middle of the Autumn season and the end of November marks the beginning of Winter. Autumn begins in August when that little layer of cells starts to die at the base of the leaf. September 22 is the middle of Autumn because it can be peak season for the leaf change. By then---some leaves have lost all of their chlorophyll or green dominate color. By November, the end of Autumn has taken place and the leaves are off the trees.
I was raised( if you are a plant)/reared( children are reared and plants are raised) by folklore and traditions passed through many generations on how to recognize the beginning of seasons. I don't even think about it as it is as much a part of me as eating chocolate. NC is a melting pot of mainly people fleeing religious persecution from other nations. But these people were determined and industrious and read the signs and learned from the local Indians. The first NCers of course were Indians and their signs of Autumn traditionally hold synonymous with my traditions. They taught the first settlers and I'm fortunate enough to still have those stories and teachings passed down to me. Now that was a lot of justifying as to why Autumn has arrived at my house----but for me---I see it, smell it, taste it, feel it, and by tradition have no choice but to say.... Welcome Fall Ya'll.
Here is the calendar announcing the beginning of Autumn as August 7th. It's from Wikipedia and is a Chinese calendar but old folklore calendars in NC are similar.
In my search for support and information I ran across a post at Tangled Branches weblog. She has used the same references. It was good to see another Autumn supporter for August.
Info below taken from:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solar_term
List of solar terms
| Longi- tude |
Usual translation |
Chinese name ¹ |
Japanese name |
Korean name ² |
Vietnamese name |
Date ³ | Remark |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 315° | start of spring | 立春 lìchūn |
立春 risshun |
입춘 (立春) ipchun |
Lập xuân | Feb 4 | |
| 330° | rain water | 雨水 yǔshuǐ |
雨水 usui |
우수 (雨水) usu |
Vũ thủy | Feb 19 | more rain than snow |
| 345° | awakening of insects | 驚蟄 (惊蛰) jīngzhé |
啓蟄 keichitsu |
경칩 (驚蟄) gyeongchip |
Kinh trập | Mar 5 | lit. awakening of hibernating insects. See the note at Chinese calendar#Solar term. |
| 0° | vernal equinox | 春分 chūnfēn |
春分 shunbun |
춘분 (春分) chunbun |
Xuân phân | Mar 21 | lit. spring division (or center) |
| 15° | clear and bright | 清明 qīngmíng |
清明 seimei |
청명 (清明) cheongmyeong |
Thanh minh | Apr 5 | time for tending graves |
| 30° | grain rain | 穀雨 (谷雨) gǔyǔ |
穀雨 kokuu |
곡우 (穀雨) gogu |
Cốc vũ | Apr 20 | lit. grain rain: rain helps grain grow |
| 45° | start of summer | 立夏 lìxià |
立夏 rikka |
입하 (立夏) ipha |
Lập hạ | May 6 | |
| 60° | grain full | 小滿 (小满) xiǎomǎn |
小満 shōman |
소만 (小滿) soman |
Tiểu mãn | May 21 | grains are plump |
| 75° | grain in ear | 芒種 (芒种) mángzhòng |
芒種 bōshu |
망종 (芒種) mangjong |
Mang chủng | Jun 6 | lit. awns (beard of grain) grow |
| 90° | summer solstice | 夏至 xiàzhì |
夏至 geshi |
하지 (夏至) haji |
Hạ chí | Jun 21 | lit. summer extreme (of sun's height) |
| 105° | minor heat | 小暑 xiǎoshǔ |
小暑 shōsho |
소서 (小暑) soseo |
Tiểu thử | Jul 7 | |
| 120° | major heat | 大暑 dàshǔ |
大暑 taisho |
대서 (大暑) daeseo |
Đại thử | Jul 23 | |
| 135° | start of autumn | 立秋 lìqiū |
立秋 risshū |
입추 (立秋) ipchu |
Lập thu | Aug 7 | |
| 150° | limit of heat | 處暑 (处暑) chǔshǔ |
処暑 shosho |
처서 (處暑) cheoseo |
Xử thử | Aug 23 | lit. dwell in heat |
| 165° | white dew | 白露 báilù |
白露 hakuro |
백로 (白露) baekro |
Bạch lộ | Sep 8 | condensed moisture makes dew white |
| 180° | autumnal equinox | 秋分 qiūfēn |
秋分 shūbun |
추분 (秋分) chubun |
Thu phân | Sep 23 | lit. autumn division (or center) |
| 195° | cold dew | 寒露 hánlù |
寒露 kanro |
한로 (寒露) hallo |
Hàn lộ | Oct 8 | |
| 210° | frost descent | 霜降 shuāngjiàng |
霜降 sōkō |
상강 (霜降) sanggang |
Sương giáng | Oct 23 | appearance of frost and descent of temperature |
| 225° | start of winter | 立冬 lìdōng |
立冬 rittō |
입동 (立冬) ipdong |
Lập đông | Nov 7 | |
| 240° | minor snow | 小雪 xiǎoxuě |
小雪 shōsetsu |
소설 (小雪) soseol |
Tiểu tuyết | Nov 22 | |
| 255° | major snow | 大雪 dàxuě |
大雪 taisetsu |
대설 (大雪) daeseol |
Đại tuyết | Dec 7 | |
| 270° | winter solstice | 冬至 dōngzhì |
冬至 tōji |
동지 (冬至) dongji |
Đông chí | Dec 22 | lit. winter extreme (of sun's height) |
| 285° | minor cold | 小寒 xiǎohán |
小寒 shōkan |
소한 (小寒) sohan |
Tiểu hàn | Jan 6 | |
| 300° | major cold | 大寒 dàhán |
大寒 daikan |
대한 (大寒) daehan |
Đại hàn | Jan 20 |
Carol @ May Dreams Gardens has invited us to join her for her mid month bloom day. I so enjoy all the good blog reads that are posted. So please enjoy a walk in my garden today.
My flowers are laughing at me cause they say no way they are done blooming. They have been waiting on the cooler temps to look more lively. And look who is back--it's
It's Arthritic Bunny and under the skillful hands of a patient husband.....the bunny lives to hop another day....
I like Vinca and rusty hinges. Look at these hinges---don't you just love them...
It's the only rust in the garden we can appreciate---
Those Vincas are so grand!
Vinca, Vinca, Vinca
Is that a Teddy Bear Sunflower standing tall that didn't get knocked over in the last storm----well it shore( spelled shore on purpose) is.......
It was late evening and this is the color the leaves turned in to. I love it.
He likes to get his picture taken!
This is my homeless bunny. He used to live in a pot but I moved the pot and now he's deciding where he's going next.
He used to live in here but the hens took over and he was fed up with them. He's not an early riser and they are.
Well this is certainly happy. It's the 2009 Citrus Blend Lantana by PW. It's the gift that keeps on giving. Love it. Get it next year!
OH Good Grief---it's more of those dang maters. This is a daily event. They are lined up at the back door waiting to get in. Takes them a day to make it from the vine in to the house. Takes less than a day to make it through my system. It's getting to be like---hey kids...look...Parliament---Big Bend. They cycle is never ending.
This Gaura is just a wild whirling momma.
This Supertunia Vista Silverberry for 09 is reaching enormous like measurements. It's like---if you plant it---they will come by the car loads and will pay to see it grow. Really! I'm losing daylight can you tell? But that white is so cool at night.
Shadows are forming with that pinkish evening glow.
It really is Autumn! And it really is night time....
The Citrus Blend Lantana and the pumpkin patch.
Now....drum roll.....The Moon!
Autumn is my favorite time of year. Today is the day for gathering the fall decorations and beginning to celebrate the sweet taste and scent of apple cider, wearing sweaters, and displaying the pumpkins. We've had a very hot and dry summer so I am grateful to the cooler and spicier days of Autumn. I'm wishing you all a very happy harvest.
Graphics by Flowergardengirl
You may copy this and use it as you wish. It is a gift from me to my cyber friends.
Once upon a time a little girl dreamed of gardens so wondrous that they would dwarf the home and all who lived there. Everyday she pretended to plant and build bigger gardens. She was only 4 but had already developed a love for gardening and talent for knowing what would make a house a home.
As she stood outside the imagined picketed entry, she hoped from color that would always be blooming and fall would never end. Pinks and yellows would proudly hold hands with reds and browns. She imagined way in to the night.
The picketed fence only framed the front lawn and reached to the mountains at the furtherest end. There were boulders and lighted areas casting shadows. Dreaming under the maples and myrtles was almost as delightful as dreaming under the cherries and the chestnuts.
Forever and ever, the flowers would grow.
It was never fall and it was never summer. It was in fact, always perfectly every season but winter. And she dreamed and she played as she grew and planned for the gardens she would own one day.
Continue reading "Once Upon a Time..... A Little Girl Dreamed" »
I've got to lug all this stuff from the back of the truck to the remote area where it will be set up and moved frequently as not to get wet. It's such a pain to sit there for hours waiting on the tide to come in. All there is to do is listen to the waves which drone out all sounds within a couple of hundred feet. You feel alone and it's just the wind, waves, and seagulls offering any disturbance at all. It's a really tough situation. It's almost unbearable to reach around and pull a ice cold drink out of your Piggly Wiggly cooler. So many decisions---will it be a chocolate Brownie drink, grape Nehi, sweet tea, or plain old boring Pepsi. Not to mention the many yummy snacks added to pass the time till you go out to dinner at one of those dreadful seafood restaurants dotting the coast. All day long you are burdened with thinking about a supper of crab legs, deviled crab, or shrimp. It's almost too much to bear.
Then you got to look at this all day. All that splashing and rolling is maddening. How can a person relax with the consistency of the waves smashing against the beach. Hopefully I can close my eyes and get a few winks.
There there are the tide pools where one can go mad just looking for unusual seashells and sharks teeth or my favorite---sea glass. So ya'll be thinking about me till I return with the sad events of the trip. I don't see how I'm going to get a moment's rest.
Ya'll be good! I'll miss ya something fierce.
