Thursday, October 20, 2011

I KNOW it is FALL.....but it FEELS like SPRING!

I am so enjoying the lovely weather we are having in North Texas this week!!! The very air feels so clean and sweet. This must be the way late spring and summer is for my friends up North. EARLY spring was nice but we were experiencing 100 degree days by May so THAT sweet freshness was short lived. Instead of flourishing - we AND our plants - just hung on to survive the heat! Now that is all behind us in this lovely weather that seems to be so much more like SPRING than FALL!

Today I slept very late and was still having 'morning' coffee at noon. We are NOT early risers and it is usually late morning or early afternoon before we come to life around here. I dressed my grungiest clothes and slapped on my painter's hat and climbed the ladder - paint can in hand! I finally got the eaves of the east side of the house painted! It makes me feel so good to have that done. There is still more to do but step by step! Just accomplishing some of it is satisfying. I hope to do the trim on that side soon and then the HOUSE itself will be DONE! I intend to buy extra paint because it has been so long since I STARTED this project (4 years!) it will be nearly time to RE paint! I will never change the color again though! The trim is the color of Hersey's chocolate and the main color is the same as a Fudge sickle. Very satisfying colors!


The liriope are blooming like crazy! I had to give all of them a 'haircut' in September - cutting off the parched dried ends. Now they look better than at any point during the spring.


This mum survived the worst summer in Texas history and is now preparing to be ablaze with color!


I love the sweet clean smell of sweet alyssum! Reminds me of honey!
This is blooming along the driveway.


The marigolds have reseeded and are blooming in the appropriate fall colors!


Mexican Heather looks like it has been given a fresh lease on life!


I don't even know WHAT this is! I planted a few things that quickly succumbed to the heat. Guess this is one of them that had enough life to come back!


This pot has an assortment of plants in it. Even the mint - which you CANNOT kill - struggled this year!
I use mint for tea every single day.


I had  meant to pull this 'dead' plant up but it has surprised me by blooming again. At least PART of it!


The roses are beautiful and the rosemary is getting HUGE!
That's an interesting combination of scents in one flower bed.
Lantana/roses/rosemary. The honeysuckle is the one thing that has NOT had a major come back!

It has been a good day around here!
Tomorrow is my one early day - the beauty shop run with Mother -


we will eat our chili pie (leftovers from yesterday's lunch when my friend, Brenda, came!)
watch some Ranger Baseball and head to bed at a decent time.
No sitting out on the driveway sipping wine til after midnight for US!
At least not TONIGHT! Perhaps tomorrow though..........


15 comments:

Joy@aVintageGreen said...

Love your garden flowers - they must be loving the weather right now. You sure got a lot done today.
- Joy

Deb said...

it has been great hasn't it....Go Rangers...

Kelly said...

I'm not usually an early riser either (if I can help it). During school days, however, I'm up at the crack of dawn. Yuck! You really are having some warm weather aren't you? We don't have any flowers blooming right now except the ones that I planted in my planters (pansies and mums). It has been so cold here that we've needed to wear coats. I want it to warm up. It's too cold for this time of year and I live in the south!! So, you need to send some of your warm air over to us and vice versa. Your flowers sure do look pretty!

bj said...

Your flowers are just beautiful..
Now, you making LD a breakfast like you told me about and you are gonna be spoiling that man....:))

Elaine said...

it will soon frost here and what flowers we have will be gone.. I don't get up to early...just me and so I linger in bed quite often.

Amber said...

Glad you got more painting done. We might be painting my laundry room when you come in town! I want to redo the guest room, too, but it's not worth it for the time we'll be in the house.

Love you!

Kathy said...

Your garden is so beautiful! How nice to walk out into those lovely colors. My mums and roses are still out, but that's about it. Oh, and my impatients and vinca are still going. But nothing like yours. It is chilly here. I guess fall has finally arrived.

Anonymous said...

You just keep plugging away at that painting don't you? I would have probably gotten frustrated by now & just gave up. I'm bad for that!!!!

Those flowers are absolutely beautiful. I swear every year that I'm going to plant flowers but never get around to it. Maybe this year you will inspire me.

Have a good day tomorrow with your momma! My mom is struggling so bad right now. It breaks my heart not to have the answers for her.

Happy ALMOST Friday friend!!!!

Blondie's Journal said...

I admire you for keeping at your painting project. I DO NOT like to paint. You are good!

It's amazing that your flowers are reseeding and blooming when all of our are dying. We have had 4 straight days of rain and gloom...yuk! But we were spoiled all summer long. Your flowers are gorgeous!

XO,
Jane

Jordan said...

Ms. Linda you have a fabulous life! You are such an inspiration, you see the joy in the simple things. You have a beautiful soul.

Pondside said...

You pack so much into a single day! I know what you mean about just finishing a job when it's time to start all over again.

Auntie sezzzzzz... said...

Oh I am so happy that you are having Spring-in-Oct.!!! Just lovely.

Wow do you get stuff done! Like someone else said, you pack a lot of things into your days. I want your secret!! Plllleeeeeeeeeeazzzzzze. :-)

Gentle hugs,
"The goldenrod is yellow
The corn is turning brown
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down."

~ Childrens song

Bev said...

Beautiful Pictures! enjoy your weather...the Chili Pie...looks yummy!!

Carla said...

I like all the garden pictures and dang if I'm not drooling over you left over chili pie. So you Plant your mums in the ground and leave year round?

Nita said...

Wow! your flowers are beautiful! Good job!