Wordless Wednesday

a winter’s night

 For all my complaining about the cold Ohio winter, there really is something magical about the season.

The snow falling gently, the trees coated in a sugary white, the deer coming out at twilight.  The deer are easy to see as their dark winter coats stand out against the silent white landscape.  The roads were treacherous last evening, but my evening drive had its rewards too.

 There are strange and mysterious sounds
When the winds of winter blow,
The long nights are crystal clear and cold,
And the fields and meadows are covered with snow.
The stars are frosty against the sky,
And the wind's whistle is shrill,
As the snow blows against the house
And drifts against the hill.
Yet, I like to see during the winter
A white carpet on the ground,
To plod aimlessly in the deep snow,
where deer tracks abound.
I like to feel the stillness
Of a crisp winter's night,
Watching a full moon rise over the horizon,
Exposing a winter wonderland beautiful and bright.

~Joseph T. Renaldi

Friday Driveby & An Update on the Statues

This week's driveby is celebrating the majesty of Autumn.  The crisp Autumn breeze has the tapestry of rich colors dancing in the wind.

Come with me down a country lane.  This particular country lane is the one that my cousin and his family live on in Ohio.  Right across the street from their farmhouse the horses run free in a large bountiful pasture.

Do they see us?

Here they come.

They are more interested in the apples that we tossed to them.

Enjoy the last hurrah of Autumn.  The snow will fly before we know it!

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Now for the update on the statue project.  We had guesses of a cemetery, a halloween project, a fence, and a garden, and drumroll please...........it appears to be transforming into a....Garden.

If you recall in this post I mentioned that my parents had seen these exact statues for sale at the Cleveland Botanical Garden.  It seems as if the homeowner was inspired to create their own botanical garden.

The plants are in place.  The statues are on concrete pads, and it appears as if a gravel path has been started.  Off to the right is what looks like a stack of stone pavers, maybe to finish off the path?

If you are wondering why this photo is a different angle it is because my daughter convinced me to drive up the driveway to get a better view.  The driveway is quite long so I really didn't get too near the house.  Luckily no irate homeowner came out demanding to know why I was taking photos from the window of my car.  However, I did get a strange look from a neighbor that was doing a bit of gardening in her own yard.  I'll keep you posted on the transformation.  It will be interesting to see how this "botanical garden" takes shape.

Wishing everyone a safe and happy Halloween.

Go eat some candy!!

Time to think Spring??

I planted Daffodil bulbs today.

bulbsonline.com

Have you planted your bulbs yet?  Now is the time to be thinking about planting your Spring-flowering bulbs.  Last fall I planted Tulips and this past Spring I was rewarded with the most beautiful shade of pink.  My tulips bloomed in late April.  For next Spring I wanted some color a bit earlier than April, so I chose to plant some Daffodils today.

My front garden

When should you plant spring-flowering bulbs?  The answer to that really depends upon which "planting zone" you live in.  I am in Ohio, so late October to early November is the best time for me.  If you live in an area with very harsh winters you will want to plant your bulbs in September.  For regions with mild winters you can plant as late as December.  Generally you want to get the bulbs in the ground before the first frost.

When you purchase a package of bulbs it should tell you on the package when the bulbs should be planted according to what zone you live in.  My daffodil package had a zone map on it.  Here is the USDA Zone Map.

Planting bulbs is quite easy.  You will need a bulb-planter or a garden trowel.  I planted my daffodil bulbs around the base of the tree in my front yard.  I moved the mulch out of the way and placed the bulbs in the bed around the base of the tree.  You should place bulbs about 4-6 inches apart.  I then dug a narrow hole aprroximately 6" deep and placed the bulb in the hole pointy side up.  I replaced the dirt and continued with each bulb until they were all planted.  The bulb packaging will tell you how deep to plant your bulbs. 

Generally you will want to water thoroughly after your bulbs are planted.  We have had so much rain here in Northeast Ohio that the ground was very saturated and I didn't feel the need to water today.

I can't wait to see my daffodils in the Spring.  The winter is usually so long, cold, and miserable.  Those first flowers that begin to pop up in March are such a welcome sight.  They are a sign of new life, a sign of hope, of sign of beautiful days to come. 

So get on out there and plant some bulbs!
Come March or April you will be so glad you did.

Here are some bulb-planting resources:
Guide To Planting Bulbs - GoodHousekeeping.com
What Bulbs Grow In My Region? - AmericanMeadows.com
Flower Bulbs Galore, and More - GardenersNet.com


I am linking up to Kimba's DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land and also to Metamorphosis Monday at Between Naps on the Porch. Come join the fun!

A Pickin' and A Grinnin'.

This past weekend my husband and I ventured off to Lorain County to go apple picking.  Time was when we could bring the kids, but  now that they are 15 and 20 and lives of their own, we are on our own.  This is bittersweet.  I realized as we were picking apples that I never did this with my kids.  We went to pumpkin farms when they were kids, but never did apple or strawberry picking.

The sweet part of the bittersweet is that Steve and I spent the afternoon together taking the drive to the country.  It was a very chilly day, but I loved it anyway.

We went to Rex Gee's Orchard.  There were half a dozen apple farms down this stretch of country road, but this one was the only one that proclaimed "Pick your own apples."

There were a number of varieties to choose from.  I think we ended up with Golden Delicious, Melrose, Empire, and Courtland. 

Check out the color on these Melrose:

This next pic looks like fallen branches, but it's actually a tree that must be growing up from a stump.

Nature has a way.

Here is our load of apples.  1/2 bushel for $15.

I have no idea if that's a good price or not, but it was worth the adventure!

Now that I have all of these apples I need to get crackin on those recipes that I have been saving.

Recipes for Apple Cake, Apple Bars, and canned Apple Butter.

Yummy!!

Red Wagon Farm

We finally have received a respite from the rain that has been drenching us for over a week now.  Saturday we dashed out for a quick trip to the pumpkin farm.  I needed pumpkins and they have a generous selection.  We arrived just before closing time, but were there long enough to pick our pumpkins, shop around the farmers' market, and get some yummy caramel apples with nuts.  Mmmm.

These kids were cute traipsing across the field with their choice pumpkins.  The littler ones had trouble hanging on to the heavy gourds, but they made it across the fields on their own.

I came away with pumpkins large and small, tomatos that are simply scrumptious, caramel apples, and some hot apple cider.

Quick trip, but still enough time to savor the goodness and warmth of Autumn in the Midwest.

I am linking up to Mosaic Monday over at Little Red House.

Wordless Wednesday: Children of the Corn

First Day of Autumn

A Song of Autumn by Adam Lindsay Gordon

‘WHERE shall we go for our garlands glad

At the falling of the year,

When the burnt-up banks are yellow and sad,

When the boughs are yellow and sere?

Where are the old ones that once we had,

And when are the new ones near?

What shall we do for our garlands glad

At the falling of the year?’

‘Child! can I tell where the garlands go?

Can I say where the lost leaves veer

On the brown-burnt banks,

when the wild winds blow,

When they drift through the dead-wood drear?

Girl! when the garlands of next year glow,

You may gather again, my dear—

But I go where the last year’s lost leaves go

At the falling of the year.’

Goldenrod

Back in June I shared with you my little backyard meadow. Well, here it is September and today I wandered to the back of the yard to check out the "meadow"in its full end-of-summer glory.

Come a little closer to see what I found, Goldenrod and a Preying Mantis:

I left the little guy where he was, but couldn't resist bringing some of the goldenrod into my home. Here it is in the sunroom:

I clipped these cuties too:

More goldenrod in my front foyer.


Aaaah!! I do love the outdoors. Have I mentioned that? So glorious.

Life is beautiful right outside your door. Today I am sharing this with Melissa' Beautiful Life Friday over at The Inspired Room.

Enjoy your holiday weekend!

Mama Knows Best

Saturday was not a great day for me. Despite the summer heat & sun I fell into a bit of a funk. I (and my family) have stopped trying to figure out my occasional "funks". It is what it is, and we just deal with it. This past Saturday my way to deal was to head over alone to my parent's home. This always makes everything seem right to me. I don't know why, it just does the trick.

I was no sooner sitting at my parent's kitchen table then my mom uttered those magical words, "Do you want to go on a bike ride"? I don't know how moms do it, but somehow we always know the right thing to say or do - at least my mom does.

On the way out back to get the bikes we oooohed and aaaahed over the wildflower seed that her neighbor threw (and I mean literally threw) against the fence. Mom definitely benefited from those seeds! The results are so bright and cheery poking their heads through the neighbor's chain-link fence.


After Dad added some air to the tires, Mom & I were off on our little bike adventure. We actually only rode down the street a mile or so, but it might as well have been a different world.

Don't you just love an old barn? I do! Something about the old wood, and the faded red paint, and the slate tile roof - it just is so peaceful to me.

Then we headed off down Main St. to "Byers' Pond". I know you'd think with a name like Main St. this would be all hustle and bustle, but somehow this particular country road is called Main Street.

We found some blackberries; some sweet & some tart. This is also where I had a little snake slither past my foot. He was too little & too quick to capture a photo of.

HELLLOOO!?!?!?! Do you see what I see??? THE LEAVES ARE STARTING TO TURN. Nooooo!!! It's only August!!!!!!

And of course you can't ride a bike, or talk a walk, or drive a car down Main St. without seeing the deer. They are everywhere. Last week I saw about 20 of them behind that white garage - all at the same time!!

Here we are about an hour later pedaling back down Mom's driveway, with the neighbors wildflowers to greet us.

I find that sometimes it is OK to step away. To relax. To escape just a bit. It's not really an escape, but more of a recharging of my spirit, or my soul. It's good for me, and it 's good for my family. I went home a much calmer, happier mama & wife. Just what I (and we) needed.

Thank you Mom. I love you.