Autumn Decorating and Other Adventures

I've brought in some sweet autumnal touches

as we transition to a new season. 

This country basket was once my Dear Mother's. 

She loved unusual baskets and so do I. 

A favorite fairy scene as they fade away

along with their flowers. 

Golden light streams in

as I redecorate for fall. 

Birdy Boy, my sweet Cockatiel, supervises from his lofty perch. 

He comes out to play every morning.

(Once the cats and dogs have gone outside) 

He's been my little friend for 15 years. 

I found him - he was lost. 

He comes when I call. 

Most of the time :) 

The mantel gets a new look....

warm russet tones replace summer blues and greens.

Just a few seasonal touches. 

Gifts from nature.
I grew the strawflowers.

Heart rocks that my Ramblin' Man

 has collected over the summer for me,

ring the stove pipe. 

Soon we will have to find a new home for them

when it gets a little colder and we fire up the woodstove.....

Ramblin' Man has his work cut out for him stacking wood for 

the next month. 

Our weather has held out long enough for us to get the side

and the front of the house stained! 

This is what I did today after I played decorator. 

We are 'blessed' with an abundance of rocks here- 

every place we dig! So we have lots of little piles

that have been waiting to be used.......

We needed some drainage here. 

I am not quite done yet. 

I filled my little garden cart with rocks

and because we have no level ground, 

I had a wild ride trying to keep the 

cart from careening out of control and spilling my rocks! 

I am tired and sore.....

Usually Ramblin' Man does these things, 

but he has been Ramblin'.......

I finished up my decorating by putting some rustic 

bark covered votives beside a matching planter. 

This is where I sit in the evenings. 

The basket fills up with my reading material

and I watch television (inside the closed cabinet). 

I watched the first part of 'The Roosevelts' on PBS

last night. I am recording tonight's to watch with the Mr. 

It's a 4-part series. 

I love history, autobiographies, and documentaries. 

So far, it is wonderful 

(except for Theodore's penchant for killing helpless animals).

 It has been so dry that there are forest fires raging once again. 

When I stepped out onto the deck this morning, I could smell smoke,

and you can see the haze over the mountains. 

Mt. Rainier is barely visible. 

Luckily, we are finally getting some much needed rain

tomorrow night. 

I have had to spend every day watering. 

Some things I can't save......

We have a well and I have to ration the water. 

I bought myself some new flowers, though. 

And the little basket holds miniature roses from earlier this summer. 

One rose is still blooming. 

One perfect little rose. 

I also bought some dear little pansies. 

These are 'Glacier Pansies' and will bloom all winter. 

I have to pot them up....

This big guy was flying around trying to get a closer look at me

as I admired the flowers. He is about 3 inches long. 

Come back inside and I will show you something cute...

I bought these wooden letters and heart to make a sign.

 I put them here on my enamel-top desk until then. 

They are so cute, I am tempted to just leave them here. 

I will show you my finished sign in a future post. 

I found these tiny white pumpkins, too. 

They are real, not painted! 

Soon, I'll have to change my Scrabble letters, as 

Indian Summer is almost over. 

Time just flies by, doesn't it? 

We celebrated my youngest son's birthday over the weekend

 at his home - he's 32. 

How did that happen? 

It was just yesterday that he was 

a chubby cheeked little boy. 

Now he's a married man. 

But he still loves a party! 

So does this guy, my Son-in-Law, Eric, 

who shared the birthday honors. 

I've eaten way too much cake and ice-cream this month! 

But the sweetness of sharing these wonderful celebrations with loved ones

is worth the extra lbs! 

Besides, I worked it off today! 

I will leave you, Dear Friends, with this lovely view 

of my son and new bride's chandelier

over their birthday table. 

xoxo

A Gardener's life

Is full of sweets and sours;

He gets the sunshine

When he needs the showers. 

-Reginald Arkell-

xoxo

Wishing you a lovely day.