Now I know who did it!!!  

 

Jo and Mike Cox transformed the Jack O'Lantern haybale into this great turkey.  Thanks Y'all.

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

 

What are you going to do with those pumpkins now?  If they are still intact, you can cut them up and eat them.  

 

Here are some ideas for uses for these fabulous winter squashes.  

 

Click here:  Before you toss your Halloween pumpkins

 

HAPPY NOVEMBER!!!

 

This is what Mark and Karen saw on Thursday morning, the results of hurricane Zeta.  These trees were standing on Wednesday, and early on Thursday they just fell over.  There were about 6 or 7 trees in this small area on the corner of Five Forks and Beaconhill that came down.   Actually this is what it looked like after the road had been cleared.  Cars couldn't pass onto Beaconhill.  But still, what a mess!!!

 

Now, just one week later, this is how it looks.  Thanks to the prompt action of our HOA, and Fidel and his crew.  

 

 

When I rode by, after I had taken the picture, I noticed that those 5 logs are gone.  Good work everybody!!!

 

 

WE HAVE SUCH A GREAT NEIGHBORHOOD!!!

 

It's called Burning Bush, and Dwarf Winged Euonymus, but the botanical name is Euonymus alatus compactus.  This huge one is in the parking lot at The Home Depot in Blairsville.  It's about 10 feet tall, and as wide.  (Hardly compact.)  I've seen them planted in the medians in lots of cities.  There are several planted in our neighborhood too, and when they do this, you can't miss them.

 

The shrubs generally grow to 3 or 4 feet, and the branches have corky, winglike projections.  In the fall, the leaves turn this spectacular color, and the fruits are a lot like the bittersweet:  scarlet berries popping out of capsulelike fruit.  Gorgeous!!!

 

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

I can't remember ever seeing Hydrangeas blooming in November.  But, I've never grown my own, so maybe I'm not really qualified to say.  

 

I do love seeing these when we walk by Nancy's.  They are so cheerful.  Do you know about color changes in the blooms of some Hydrangeas?

 

If the soil is acid:  the blooms will be blue.  If the soil is alkaline:  the blooms will be pink.  And if the soil is neutral:  the blooms will be white.  Sometimes, when the soil is in transition from alkaline to acid, the blooms will be both blue and pink, looking sorta purple.  

 

See that pinkish blossom in the picture?  It isn't pink because of the soil, it is in the process of fading.  It started out blue, like the others.  Hydrangeas make really good dried flowers, cut at this stage of fading.  

 

Remember the Hydrangeas in Nanny's back yard?  And the story that Granddaddy pounded rusty nails into the ground to make them turn blue!!!  I love it!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

Photo credit:  Jon Opsahl

 

Halloween was the full moon.  A blue moon, too.  This October we had two full moons.  My Farmers Almanac calendar called the first one the Full Harvest Moon, and the second one the Full Hunters Moon.

 

I also learned from the Farmers Almanac that the last time the full moon and the blue moon fell on Halloween was 1944.  Quick, do the math.  ;D

 

HAPPY SKY WATCHING!!!

 

 

 

Actually, we voted 2 weeks ago, but since tomorrow is Election Day, I thought I'd let you know how easy it was to vote.  

 

There was no wait, because we were there at 9 am.  Each person was given a baggie with a mask, a pen, a Q-tip, and an I VOTED sticker.  All we had to do was tell the person at the computer our name and address, (no ID required) and she gave us a ballot.  We went into another spacious room with about 10 voting booths, made our choices using the Q-tip on the touch screen, and gave our ballot to the official.  She showed us, as it was fed into the machine, that our votes were counted.  EASY!!!

 

Not sure what it will be like tomorrow, but it couldn't have been any easier to vote in person, in Murphy.  We love our town.

 

I HOPE YOU VOTED TOO!!!

 

Can you believe it?  We still have Zinnias blooming in the garden.  And, you can see that the Sulphurs love them.  I think these are Cloudless Sulphurs, looking at the underside of their wings;  just a guess.  

 

My Stokes Butterfly Book says:  Try to have late-blooming flowers, for Sulphurs can remain active well into fall.  We have zinnias and marigolds in the garden still, so they're happy here.  We've also seen them up at Rosalie's, in her wildflower garden.  Not sure how long they'll last when it gets cold.  

 

I love seeing butterflies any time of year.  

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

We saw this Tomato Hornworm this week on Dan's pepper plant.  Look just below the big pepper, and you can see the worm.  You can even see the horn.  

 

You can also see that he has eaten all the leaves, and some of the peppers.  That's how I knew to search for it, seeing all the chewage.

 

This worm is about the size of my index finger!!!  And when I see them in my garden, I pick them off and squish them.  BUT.....we plant Borage near the tomatoes and peppers, because it deters the hornworms.  We haven't had any this year!!!  

 

I guess they're happy eating Dan's peppers.  YAAAAK!!!

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!

 

This vine is growing in lots of places in the community.  It is Bittersweet, Celastrus scandens.  

 

Bittersweet is an aggressive climbing vine, sometimes reaching 50 feet.  It is very noticeable right now, because the yellow fruit is opening showing the red berries.  This one is just beginning to open, so I'll be watching it over the next couple weeks.  

 

I hope you see some Bittersweet in your travels.  It is so pretty.

 

HAPPY GARDENING!!!