Sweet September

Hello, Dear Friends!

It has been a while since I've checked in with you, I know.  

Here we are, in the month of September already! 

Although summer is beautiful, with flowers and sunshine, 

I'm an autumn gal who loves the cooler weather. 

We are getting our first rainy week in over two months,

 here in western Washington State. 

It's been so dry, and we've had a tragic wildfire season. 

I always hold my breath until the rains start again

and I can finally exhale. 

It seems that all I have been doing all summer long is watering! 

It has taken all of my free time. 

Flowers from my son, Gabe

 

I am really looking forward to fall! 

Things I love...

All things pumpkin 

Fresh apples and pears

Sunflowers, pansies and chrysanthemums

Falling Leaves

Sweater weather

Anything plaid

Pinecones

Mushrooms

The sound of raindrops

and wind in the trees

Migrating Geese

Rosy Cheeks

Hot Chocolate

Homemade soup

Apple pie

To get sweater weather off to a fabulous start, my son Dustin and his 

beautiful wife Jen, gifted me this gorgeous, hand-knit sweater

straight from Ireland. 

(The pretty pillow was a gift from daughter Heather earlier this year.)

 It's a lovely shade of celadon green (my favorite color), 

with leather buttons, 

and it is so very soft.

I love it. 

xx 

They went on an epic trip this summer to England and Ireland.

(Home of the ancestors)

They love to travel. 

As for the Mr. and me, we had a lovely 'staycation'

(along with Kai), 

enjoying coffee on the deck in the mornings, 

and cool drinks under the canopy on hot afternoons. 

The Mr.'s favorite chair under the Jasmine vine.

The fragrance was heavenly!  

xx

And mine, on the sofa, against the late afternoon sun. 

xx

And in the evening, we watched the hills turn gold, 

the sky turn pink, and the man in the moon rise over all. 

xoxo

In between we tended to the house and the gardens. 

Notice the heavy crop of maple wing-nuts! 

(This is a view from the deck.) 

The squirrels love these! 

We've been working on turning this area into a somewhat civilized 

area. It's an ongoing project. 

We've had this old dresser in the shed for years. 

It's solid oak, but had peeling, white enamel paint

that would have taken forever to remove. 

The Mr. gave it a coat of exterior paint and sealant 

and now it is my impromptu potting bench. 

(Still looking for a drawer pull, though!)

It sits under the ancient cedar tree. 

The lower branches are actually a 'vine maple'

growing underneath. 

It's dry and cozy and cool here. 

My little sanctuary. 

A favorite spot to take a break. 

The Mr. sometimes brings me a cold drink 

or cup of coffee and we share a little impromptu visit here. 

The planters hold spring bulbs (daffodils and alliums)

and forget-me-not. 

After experimenting with many different flowers 

over the years, I've finally discovered that 

Impatiens are deer proof and slug proof! 

Not to mention, they thrive in partial or full shade. 

This has been a wonderful revelation! 

Impatiens with marigolds

I think I bought about a dozen flats, most of them 

on discount, late in the season. 

They are so bright and cheerful! 

And they bloom from spring to fall. 

The only drawback is that they are fairly delicate.

Hence the old-fashioned name of 'touch-me-not'. 

So, I planted them only in pots and planters. 

 I've even planted them in my window boxes. 

Another flower I've discovered that is deer and slug proof

are begonias. 

These had to be overwintered in the greenhouse, as they grow from corms.

They also like shade.  

Here are some other deer and slug-proof flowers

I've discovered over the years...

 Allium. 

These have been growing here for many years. 

I planted these purple alliums last fall

in a planter box. 

They need to be staked, so I have to find 

a pretty way to do this. 

Maybe with a decorative wire border fence. 

Foxglove with Sweet William.

Foxglove grow wild here, believe it or not! 

I collect the seed and spread them around. 

They are poisonous, so beware. 

They bloom in various shades of purple, pink

and sometimes, white and are biennial - blooming 

the second year. 

Columbine, another self-seeder. 

Every year they surprise me with 

different colors! 

The seed pods dry nicely for fall arrangements, too. 

St. John's Wort.

This variety spreads like crazy. We have to keep the edges mowed. 

I have no idea what type this is, as they were given to me

as one small plant years ago. 

Sweet William. 

Another self-seeder that has pretty, pinwheel flowers. 

I've been spreading these around the property. 

They are biennial, like foxglove. 

Once the Sweet William finish blooming, the Tansy

begin to bloom. 

I've also spread these around. 

I harvest the leaves in October to dry for moth repellent sachets. 

The scent is strong and we put large baskets of it 

in the sheds to repel mice, too. 

Hydrangea. 

These are 'Big-Leaf Hydrangea', Nikko Blue. 

They start the season pale blue, then become a lovely sky-blue, 

and end the season pale green with tinges of mauve. 

Once that happens, they are ready to harvest for dried bouquets, 

usually by the end of September. 

These are easy to propagate by stem cuttings in spring, 

or simply by pinning a branch down with a rock

or brick until roots form. 

They do require lots of watering, though. 

Nigella 

These form interesting seedpods that can be dried for arrangements.

 xx

There are a few other deer-proof plants I have growing too, including 

bleeding heart, butterfly bush, camellia, sweet box, 

forget-me-not, viburnum, forsythia, daffodil, and lilac. 

It's frustrating to plant something and find it eaten down to nothing! 

I can't plant fruit trees, or any vegetables, but I find that 

 most herbs are left alone. 

Roses are another casualty, but I have successfully grown 

the very thorny Rugosa climbing roses, as long as they are 

hidden in a hedge or fenced off in the early stages. 

Rugosa Rose - 'The Fairy'

Keeping everything watered during this dry spell has taken most of 

my free time. 

But I have managed to do a little sewing, (I am making a dress),

some embroidery, lots of baking, visiting with friends and family, 

having grandson sleepovers, going to their games and activities, 

hosting dinners, and helping with keeping 'the home fires burning'

while the Mr. works on various home repair projects. 

Staining a board to repair some trim on the house

It's been busy and I am finding myself hitting a wall at times.

I'm not getting any younger, and it takes a lot of my energy to keep 

up with life these days. 

I keep 'over-doing it' and end up having to take time off to recover. 

I'm sure you can all relate! 

Hauling around heavy hoses has aggravated an old 

shoulder injury (falling off my horse when I was young), which interrupts my sleep and 

causes me pain when I use my right arm. 

Which is virtually everything I do! 

It eventually heals, but temporarily keeps me from doing the things 

I love, like sewing, writing, pulling weeds, etc. 

The heating pad is my best friend these days. 

xx

The forest outside my door which takes continuous work to 

keep it from taking over.

 

I do enjoy the wildflowers, all the birds, woodland creatures, 

and the lovely fresh air, though. 

xx

 I do try to look for rainbows to remind myself of 

what is truly important in this life. 

The simple pleasures of home. 

Family and friends to share it with. 

Faith in the goodness of others,

and a higher power to watch over us all. 

And gratitude for each and every day. 

xoxo

"There is nothing like staying home for real comfort."

- Jane Austen

xx

"The family is the nucleus of civilization"

- William Durant

xx

"What can you do to promote world peace? 

Go home and love your family."

- Mother Theresa

xx

"The strength of a nation derives from the integrity 

of the home."

- Confucius

xx

"I figure if I have my health, can pay the rent, and I have

my friends, I call it 'content'."

- Lauren Bacall

xx