Monday, October 31, 2011

TRICK-OR-TREAT?

We've only ever had one trick-or-treater in the seven years we've lived in our house, I suppose because our houses are fairly far apart and quite a distance from the road.  Regardless, we always buy candy - just in case! :) 

Well, yesterday, during weak moment, I cut the top off our bag of candy bars and ate two.  I didn't even pick up the bag... just sliced it open right where it sat.

Last night my hubby looked over and said... "What happened to the top of that bag of candy?"  I said, "Oh, earlier, when you were napping... two trick-or-treaters stopped by.  I gave them each a candy bar.  They ate them right there on the porch.  They asked me if I would mind disposing of the wrappers for them.  I thought that was nice... instead of them throwing them down in the front yard."

Hubby asked... "What were they dressed as?"

I said... "They were really cute.  One was a middle-aged, slightly overweight, white woman.  The other was a slightly overweight, white, middle-aged woman.  I wish you could have seen them.  You'd have loved them!"

He just shook his head and said... "Why didn't you just eat them out of the hole I had already cut in the side of the bag a few nights ago... then you wouldn't have had to make up that big ol' story!  Sucker!

I love that man!  Definitely a TREAT!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN TO YOUR AND YOURS!


Sunday, October 30, 2011

For Flowerlady...

Flowerlady - This post is especially for you!  I thought I would take a walk around the yard today and snap a few photos so that you could enjoy the changing season along with us here in middle Tennessee.  




















 



 There is beauty in everything.

Some of my photos didn't post correctly... so I uploaded them again today.  Hope this helps!


Friday, October 28, 2011

Cold, Rainy Days

The past two days have been cold and rainy and made me long for spring!  I do realize that we must have fall and winter before spring visits us again - but it doesn't stop me from wishing!  Tonight I made a huge pot of chicken & dumplings to warm us from the cold, damp weather that seemed to have soaked into our bones.  We are wimps!  We don't deny it! 



Even I must admit that fall and winter both offer their own beauty.  During our commute we are in awe of the beautiful hues painted across our landscape; rolling hills of yellows, oranges, reds and greens balanced between the blue of the bright fall sky and the cold, darkness of the nearby lake. It seems like a completely different place than it does in spring with the purple Redbud, white Dogwood and greens of newly emerging leaves of hundreds of types of trees. 



Soon the landscape will consist of only the skeletal remains of the once vibrant trees as they rest for their show next spring.  Only the evergreens will stand full, unphased by the seasons - often under-appreciated because of their constant reliability.  I do realize though that if not for the seasons we might never appreciate the bark of the White Paper Birch, Shagbark Hickory, the fruit of the Sweetgum trees, or the flame of the Burning Bush - to name a few.  So I'll try to sing the praises of this season and the next as I look forward to the warmth of spring!


Think warm thoughts... and I'll see you in the garden - we've got leaves to rake!

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

You've got to see this...

A friend/coworker shared this site with me today... and I could hardly wait to get home to share it with you.  As I watched it I almost felt as if I had been transported to another place.  It was heavenly.  I hope that you'll enjoy it and share the link with your friends. 

Next time I'll write more... this time... I'll let Louie Schwartzberg steal the show!

See you in the garden soon!


Saturday, October 22, 2011

I've found my way back to the blog

Some of you may have noticed that I took some time off from writing… some of you may have not!   I have no real excuses for my absence.  I could blame it on my wilting flowers or the mental drain of my mother’s recent health crisis; truth be told… it just wasn’t a top priority.  A friend/co-worker checked on me via email the other day after I bowed out of a monthly luncheon.  Apparently my lack of attendance there, coupled with my lack of attention to the blog seemed to have caused a bit of concern.  Thank you Martha for your kindness!  Perhaps it was the gentle nudge I needed to find my way back to the things I enjoy.   I am happy to report that my mother has conquered her health crisis and she is back, nearly 100%.  My flowers have survived the summer’s unrelenting heat and what plants are still capable of blooming are proudly showing their gratitude for the attention I did muster through those dog days of late summer! 
As I stood in the warm kitchen this morning looking out over the back yard analyzing how golden and warm the sun seemed as it cast those long drawn out shadows of fall, my eyes landed on the dog house nestled in a triangular area of the yard flanked by tall, green, cedar trees.  There it sat, covered in shade and vacant.  Don’t stop reading… this is not a sad tale of a once vibrant pup who is no more.  Nope, not even close.  We moved in to this home seven years ago and the dog house was part of the deal.  Just like the playhouse on stilts and the tiny playhouse with the tiny front porch, tiny windows with tiny window boxes, and a tiny little door; all extras that made the property feel homey.  There was also a duck house (if you can call it that) attached to the side of the doghouse, which actually looked more like a small carport.  You know… every dog needs a place to park their car (assuming they catch it)! 
There was just something about that doghouse that spoke to my husband.  Perhaps he thought he might need a place to sleep now and then, I joked.  I immediately suggested that we get rid of it, but he looked at it longingly and said that there was just something about it that he liked, so it stayed.  Our neighbor once mentioned if we ever wanted to get rid of the doghouse that he’d like to buy it.  Still, even at the possibility of making a quick buck, my husband didn’t part with it.  I know what you’re thinking… probably a ploy to one day get a dog.  Nope… seven years later, still no dog.  We joke that we have a dog… she just lives two doors down.  Oh, it looks like we have a dog.  We have a doghouse and we keep doggie treats in the pantry for her visits… but that no more means we have a dog than the fact that we have a store-bought cat bed on our covered patio means that we have a cat.  No sir, he lives next door… he just prefers to sleep at our place.  Apparently, there’s no place like home… unless it’s close to home!