Thursday in the Gardens ~ Autumn Is Here !

 It doesn't look like Autumn around Cedar Pond yet.Our grapes are still producing fruit.

 The grape vines and rugosa have grown so large and strong they're bending the arbor and fence as they weave in and out of the lattice and pickets. It was hard picking the grapes that grew in the tangles and the birds are enjoying the fruit in the shady hiding places the vines provide.

 Rugosa blossoms are so sweetly fragrant and the rose hips are orangey ripe on many of the rugosa bushes. I have to remember to take a picture of them soon, they're beautiful this time of the year and quite large considering the small flowers they come from.

 My husband's veggie garden is about ready to be put to bed. We picked the last of the beans and ate them for dinner last night. The cucumbers are done , the lettuces are in their last days and bolting. We are getting a lot of yellow squashes and some zucchini, carrots and a few stray strawberries too. The onions and garlic are already harvested and we have a few months supply for fall and winter cooking.

 My husband has been painting our house . It's taking some time but one advantage to a hot and dry summer is there have been plenty of good days to paint.

It's breeding season in the sheep pens and my new ram Jonas is a happy boy. He and the ewes are so much fun to watch as they spy the large cottonwood leaves falling from the trees and race each other to get to the leaves first. There's no need to rake leaves anywhere the sheep can get to them. I am looking forward to some lovely lambs this coming spring.

The leaves have only now begun to change color, but many of the trees that are usually mostly red and yellow this time of the year have not changed color . Our Japanese Maples haven't changed color yet either. It is only the first week of Autumn though, and I am excited my favorite season has begun. Still pretty warm during the day but we're having crisp evenings and mornings perfect for sipping hot mugs of coffee on the porch . Happy , happy, autumn !

Tea In The Garden ~ From The Porch

 Today ( Tuesday) is Tea In The Garden  time hosted by Terri * and I am so excited to be able to participate in this. I marked this event on my calendar as soon as she announced it. I had big ideas I'd already begun putting into action when events in my life decided against my plans. I had thought to set a romantic tea table near the new fountain my husband & I bought as a gift to each other in celebration of our 40th wedding anniversary coming up very soon. Oh what plans I had...

 ....but the pounding summer rains and life-demands not anticipated dashed those plans. The gardens are squishy wet and the trees, bushes, and flowers are drooping with the weight of the raindrops. Priorities needed to be honored in right order. Thusly, tea-time diminished but did not disappear.  

 I settled for Tea In The Garden ~ From The Porch. This is our table in a corner of the front porch where my husband and I sit in the mornings drinking our coffee and watching the birds at the feeders. We have our bird books here, the binoculars, a notebook to record the birds we see, writing paper & pen for me, gardening magazines to read, space to eat meals together, a place we love to rest and reflect on God's bounty. Perfect for tea don't you think ?

 I chose to make a simple dinner to accompany tea. Freshly gathered from my hens , these eggs will be tasty scrambled with chives from my herb garden.

 Asiago cheese bagels with cream cheese & chives ( I love chives ) with the scrambled eggs and grapes...yum.

 The binoculars are always on the table because you never know when the antics of the squirrels or a new bird at the feeder will need closer examination. My home-sewn black toile tea-cozy keeps the tea in the pot hot, and the issue of Tea Time magazine I picked up at the post office today sits nearby ,just waiting to be read. Can you believe it ? Here I set a blue & white tea table and this issue is all about blue & white teacups & settings , I can't wait to read the magazine !

 But first, there is dessert. Ah, dessert !

Tea in the garden from the porch !

 

I hope you join Terri today to enjoy Tea In The Garden* !

 

 

Doves & Scrolls For the Garden (Arbor For Kiwi)

My husband added this detail to many special buildings he built for me.This is part of the roof support of my dovecote.(below)

 If you look at the roof ridge in this pen in my herb garden you can see the same dove detail. It is presently housing our granddaughter's rooster Roseville, but I will be putting doves in it soon.You can see the close-up here.

 The new arbors for kiwi and grapes surround the dovecote and my husband has worked to craft them so they reflect the other garden structures he has built. We are not finished yet, so many little details to add, plus the landscaping and the upkeep of the gardens.

 The decking under the wood lawn furniture is not on yet. We will be using the gray plastic decking that looks like wood, but will last as many years as we hope to live here, and then some. You can see the new kiwis my husband planted and is training to climb the arbor. The kiwi vines will cover the arbor in a year or two, provide shade in the summer, and fruit to eat.

 

Bugle-Weed Becomes Us ~

The front walk-way to our home has been a true gardening challenge.When we first built our home it was shaded by towering firs, cedars, and hemlocks. We loved the trees surrounding our home and by choice planted shade-loving flora & fauna, and just as we felt our landscaping plans were finished, needing only maintenance, a windstorm knocked our trees down and 3 of them fell on and through our roof crushing it, requiring major repair.We had the few remaining trees surrounding our home cut down and then had to re-think our shade garden landscaping, because now most of our flower beds were in the sun.

What surprised us was many of the plants we had already planted for shade, were thriving in full sunshine now.The blooming plant here is Ajuga, or commonly called 'Bugle-Weed'. Along with the a fore-mentioned violets, and Lady's Mantle,the Bugle-weed not only thrives, but prospers. The blue color appeals to us, but even better, my husband & I sit on the porch and watch the bees and hummingbirds constantly humming and buzzing to and fro. Butterflies too are attracted to the flowers.

 The Bugle-weed has popped up in other places around our property, just as the violet and Lady's Mantle have, showing an ability to withstand the extremes the weather dishes out. From very hot and dry, to very wet, cold, and dark. These plants all have withstood my dogs urinating and defecating on them regularly, my ducks digging through them and squashing them, and slugs galore!Here they are, my Ajuga, violets, and Lady's Mantle, blooming again to please the bees and hummingbirds, make our entrance pretty, and this pleases us. I need to mention, they are growing on rocks,with sidewalk on one side, and the house foundation on the other, so when I say the growing conditions can be very hot and dry, believe me, this is true!

I should also mention the Bleeding Hearts too. They grow up along our porch and they have seeded themselves in many other places on our property. Oh boy do the hummingbirds love these!

Look at the Ajuga and Bleeding Hearts ,what abundance, especially for nectar gatherers.

I do miss our shady porches and the towering trees,but a sun-shiny front porch with such hardy and prolific flowers has proven to be just as much of a respite from the days work, and I have to admit, seeing hummingbirds flying around the porches and enjoying the blooms, and realizing although we had planted for shade,the plants have done even better in the sun ,has more than made up for what we considered loss.Besides, now when the windstorms rage, I don't worry about our roof giving way to trees, and that counts for a LOT! "Ajuga :about 50 species of low-growing annuals ( they grow all year round here *) and perennials make up this genus, which ranges through Europe, Asia,Africa, and Australia, mainly in cooler regions....the plants spread by runners or underground rhizomes, some forming extensive carpets.They make attractive ground covers, especially for shady places, such as corners of courtyards." 'The Plant Book' The Plant Book (Mynah)

 

As A Hen Gathers Her Chicks....

~Lady's Mantle, Ajuga, and Sedums along side the entry walkway to our home.~

Every day now I hear news of friends and family who have lost their jobs, or are waiting to hear they are losing their jobs. The news is full of the bad times, bad economy, bad, bad news. It seems there is no end to it, doesn't it? Then, after a day of bad tidings it is so easy to become fearful and anxious. "....human life is characterized by two great fears that animals are protected from: the fear of life and the fear of death..." Ernest Becker

My little frizzle bantam hen protecting her eggs and chicks. She does not even weigh a pound but you're in for a ferocious battle if you try to lift her off her eggs and chicks, as I found out while trying to photograph them. "How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you would not have it." Luke 13:34 These tiny chicks are fast and their mama was too, as soon as I put them down to photograph , mama and chicks would rush together and the little ones would disappear under her. There are more eggs to hatch!

Isn't this chick cute? I wonder when the other eggs will hatch. "The hens they all cackle, the roosters all beg, But I will not hatch, I will not hatch. For I hear all the talk of pollution and war, As the people all shout and the airplanes roar, Si I'm staying in here where it's safe and it's warm, And I WILL NOT HATCH!" Shel Silverstein

~Our front porch garden. Ajuga , Bleeding Hearts, and Hostas.~

"Don't waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours and ages that will follow it." Ralph Waldo Emerson

~My kids will tell you I am often a worrier. I have noticed though , the things I have worried about the most either did not happen, or did not end up being the horrible tragedy I had envisioned. Now, things I never did imagine to worry about did happen..some very bad things took me by surprise even, and somehow....things have worked out. I believe God helped me persevere, gave me perspective, and He also encircled my husband and I with people who prayed for us, encouraged us, helped us. That is what we are supposed to do for and with each other. Isn't that wonderful? We can all do this! No matter what , anyone can be an encouragement! Anyone can pray! Anyone can find ways to help, and anyone can do these things without money, just the desire to do so, and the willingness to think beyond ourselves. "Expect the best, plan for the worst , and prepare to be surprised!: Denis Waitley "For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not evil, to give you a future and a hope, In those days when you pray." Joshua 29:11