Dad!

The squirrel guard needs your magic manipulation! (And there were TWO squirrels on it when I ran for the camera ...)

LyndaBell Lessons

For winter interest in the garden, Lynda suggested leaving astilbe fronds intact. And yes, they're wonderful! Next year, I'll even swap out other astilbes for more of this particular plant whose fronds are especially dramatic.


Lynda's also a scrounger: one year she grabbed a discarded artificial Christmas tree for winter-long greenery outside. Instead this morning I scrounged in the neighbor's yard bags for fresh cedar boughs for pots on the patio. But after Christmas, I'll be checking for curb-side finds!

The Birds

For a few minutes, the whole back yard was covered with starlings -- and then, in a whoosh, they were gone.

Fall Iris

Mom's twice-blooming iris burst open just yesterday ...

Leaves, Leaves, More Leaves

My Dad may be talking about a new snowblower (even if he is reveling in the 70-degree Indian summer in North Carolina) but here on Longview it's nothing but leaves ... leaves ... [in back the leaves on the cherry tree and the Kiplinger oak are down but the Cook sweet gum is still nearly green and has yet to lose a leaf]


... and MORE leaves [those piles are knee high and only from the west side ... east side still to go] .

Sunrise

This time of year, it's not so hard to be up long before the sun rises!

Falling Leaves

The front is a blanket of leaves. But luckily ...


at least one of the two trees in front is starting to look bare! Only five days ago it looked like THIS and it seemed there would be no keeping up.

Don's Tree

The Japanese maple is glorious right now. In a few days, its leaves will drop in one big whoosh. We lost our good neighbor Don Connors last week. He is much missed across the back fence.

Fall Scenes

The leaves are nearly off the cherry tree now -- those are Lady's speed bumps, slowing her down as she skids into the corner after those pesky squirrels


These little purple guys disappeared during the heat of summer but would bloom for a long time if it weren't for frost around the corner!


Here too!

Now? the Last Roses of Summer?

A few last rose buds with more ready to pop if frost holds off ...

Last Blooms

At the front door ...


... and these hydrangea blossoms, from the same plant despite the huge variation in color, clipped off only yesterday

Autumn Color

The sweet gum on the west side has a real red cast for the first time in memory ...


... the leaves started to fall almost before they turned color, starting with Halloween Night's steady rain which kept the trick-or-treaters inside ...


... but in the sun, the color is spectacular ...


... and the close-up views extraordinary ...


... perfection amid imperfection!


... and on the north side, more green, still, than gold.

Autumn Windows

... from my office and ...



... from the living room and ...


the kitchen too ...