home before dark

this is the first weekend all month we haven't had a wedding or two to do at the flower shop. (though why no one wants to get married on halloween is beyond me. we could have done fantastic flowers.) as soon as i arrived home i saw fantastic flowers in the yard: roses still blooming, berries glowing, and buds setting on the gardenia. there were fat bees buzzing round the caryopteris and beautiful leaves tinged red on a hydrangea. the time changes this saturday, i'll miss the light.

comfort and joy

it's been a week of comfort food here in the small but charming house. german girl is having a bear of a week at school, the normal 12 hour days (counting commute time) and then hours studying or writing a paper. so, i do what i like to do best, walk the dog and cook some life enhancing meals. she gets home so late, and hungry, there's no time for pictures. well, i did get one of a beef stew with mashed potatoes, but everything else can only be seen in the smiles on our faces and the inch on our waists. rereading "more home cooking" by laurie colwin, one of my favorite food writers and she says "you want comfort; you want security; you want food; you want not to be hungry; and not only do you want those basic things fixed, you want it done in a really nice, gentle way that makes you feel loved." amen to that!

happy birthday to you.

marie, sending you flowers on your birthday. thanks for being such an inspiration and helping me to realize every moment of your day can be beautiful, delicious or meaningful.

pink with envy

our neighbor nelda has quite an impressive collection of salvias in her garden. this summer i ooohed over the size and name of " red neck girl", yesterday i fell head over heels for a mexican sage "el butano". it's big and bright and very pink and full strength blooming in late october. plant delights nursery here i come. in the interest of full disclosure ( i do live by the pentagon) i'm also desirious of her mt.airy fothergilla. sweet flowers in spring, lovely leaf shape all summer and fall colors, wow. we share a backyard with a swath of grass ( or some green weeds that have to be mowed) ,we both have berms planted with tall evergreens shielding us from the alley but there the similarities end. her plant selections are colorful and adventurous and always exciting to behold. and she still has some tomatoes growing. sheesh.

something for everyone

once again, we all spent sunday outside. the lawn was mowed for the last time in 2009. weeds pulled, and pulled and pulled, perennials moved, and even a bit of raking. on saturday morning i got a picture of our trident maple in full golden color. sunday morning was another picture, leaves gone, gone , gone. why, hello neighbors. our japanese pussy willow, grown from a rooted branch, is full of fat catkins. our own fat cat lounged in the sun and the ever alert lab saw a SQUIRREL

whew!

today was a doozy. weather, weddings and occasional bursts of laughter and nerves. ah, saturday in a flower shop. despite too many lattes, too late a lunch, and one big slip and fall (due to an errant ornamental kale stem on floor), all ended well. no tears, beautiful bouquets and centerpieces, and a tired but happy staff went home.

scenes from the garden

of many



still doing yard work, grabbed a couple of hours with german girl last night. but the sun sets so early, we were gathering tools in the dark. has anyone seen my favorite clippers? before i head to the bath and dinner, i want to look at a few moments in the late october garden. a self seeded castor bean plant, i weed out 1000 a summer and let one grow. next year i will have 1001. one of 3 ginormous mushrooms clumps from last weeks eternal rain. and the euonymus plant, turning redder as the temperature drops. against advice, i yanked out a boxwood to plant this, and i have never regretted that decision.red leaves, red berries. heaven on a notched stem.