Look how pretty our mountains are today.  

 

This is the view to the west from our porch.  Beautiful!!!

 

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

 

This is the view from part way up our mountain walk.  

 

We are looking south toward Georgia.  Our house is to the left just beyond the colorful trees.  

 

You can see Lake Nottley, and almost see the TVA dam.  

 

We love this view, and our walks.

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

I promised to show you the Hickory in the meadow as it changes.  

 

This picture was taken on Sunday.  It is absolutely gorgeous in the sunshine.

 

Wish you could see it in person.  It is so exciting to watch, day by day, as Fall comes to the mountains.

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

We still have marigolds.  With all the rain and wind, some branches got broken, so I brought them inside.

 

They make me so happy, inside and out.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

What did you do with all those rainy days?  We cooked.

 

Here is Jon kneading raisin bread, and Gizmo waiting for a raisin to escape so he can chase it around the kitchen.  

 

We have fun.  Even in the rain.

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

I saw this Pyracantha bush in a parking lot, and was really surprised at the bright redness of this branch.  

 

I suppose the whole bush will turn red eventually, but for now it just has this one branch.  I love its boldness.

 

HAPPY FALL!!!

 

Don't you just love the hickory trees in autumn?  Yellow and green against that Carolina Blue Sky.

 

Me, too!!!

 

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

 

 

 

I hope you do something fun for Halloween.  

 

We have very fond memories of Halloween with Momma.  She would dress up like a witch, and open the big garage door.  The garage was decorated with spider webs, and spooky stuff hanging from the ceiling.  Momma used a garden fork for a claw-like hand to give out treats to brave little children.  All the neighborhood kids loved coming to our house for Halloween.  Til one year, she got egged.  That ended that.  

 

Momma was a costume designer in the theater for many years.  So, of course, I have some fabulous costumes:  a huge fabric pumpkin filled with ghost poop (styrofoam peanuts), one of Santa's elves, a witch's cape, a Princess dress complete with a jewel laden crown, butterfly wings and butterfly net, bumblebee wings, and of course the infamous ladybug ensemble.

 

We went to a party once as a giant butterfly and a Lepidopterist.  That was fun, but the space was small and my wings were huge, so I was banished to the outside.

 

Then, we were in JoAnn Fabrics around Halloween a few years ago, and they had all the Halloween costumes on sale 70% off.  So I got a ladybug outfit, probably a child's thing, cause it is a red tutu with black spots and bows.  We painted a cardboard sandwich sign for Jon to look like a bug zapper.  We tickle ourselves.

 

Anyway, dressing up like a ladybug was fun, so the next year we painted a black long sleeve shirt of Jon's with bold yellow stripes, and we visited our neighbors as a ladybug and a bumble bee.  I thought you might like to see that one.

 

Trick or treating in a mostly adult neighborhood is always interesting.  One of our treats was a bottle of champagne left from New Year's Eve.  Hahaha!!!

 

That's it for my rambling.  Maybe we will dress up and go trick or treating.  Wish me luck.

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It is changing every day.  Last week we saw very little fall color, and this week it is exploding!!!

 

Gorgeous color around every bend.  I hope you are enjoying your fall as much as we are here in the mountains.

 

HAPPY FALL Y'ALL!!!

 

I got my garlic planted.  

 

I ordered a pound of garlic from Territorial Seeds back in July.  They always sell out, so you have to do it early.  Anyway, they arrived, and I planted the cloves.

 

It is really an easy process.  You divide the garlic bulbs into cloves, and stick them in the ground pointy end up, about 3 inches deep, and 3-4 inches apart.  Cover with a thick layer of mulch, and wait until spring for them to sprout.  Until then, they are developing a root system to sustain them over the winter.  In the spring, they will push up through the mulch, and grow until June or July.  

 

Last year I planted 60 cloves, and I harvested 60 bulbs.  You would think that 60 bulbs would be enough for a year, but we always end up buying garlic in about March and April.  SO, this year I planted 88 cloves.  I'll let you know when they start to grow.  

 

If you want to try growing your own garlic, NOW is the time to plant it, between now and Thanksgiving.  Just buy organic garlic from the grocery or farmers market, follow the directions above, and wait.  It really doesn't take up much space in the garden; you can even put it in your flower beds.  It's that pretty when it grows.  Plant some with your daffodils.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!