Simply Autumn

 Simply autumn . Pictures from the front of our home where the Japanese maples are dropping their leaves on the evergreen shrubs underneath.

 The shady and secret spots of our property hold little pockets of moss and mushrooms.

One of our ducks napping in the fallen maple leaves of autumn, simply autumn... my favorite season.

Small Havens

An intricate and almost magical world unto itself , this little spot by Cedar Pond. Mosses , Lilies of the Valley , ferns ... so many whorls and cavities in the tree roots creating what seem like tiny homes for very little creatures . And yes ! They are indeed small havens of rest , comfort, and safety for the frogs, insects, salamanders, mice, and garter snakes. There are probably many more creeping and crawling creatures I am glad not to encounter as I walk through our woods near the pond, but not near as glad as the creatures that see me pass by.

Terrariums ~ Part 2 ( An Inexpensive Pursuit )

 This is one of the terrariums I received from my husband for Christmas. I said in the last post I love terrariums, and I do. This is the terrarium I put together using inspiration and items from around Cedar Pond. The terrarium sits on a metal enamel ware tray. I gather lichens whenever the winds bring them down out of the trees onto our lawns and orchard. I put many of the lichens in front of the terrarium, on the tray, because I think each lichen is a small miracle unto itself. Have you ever closely examined the mosses and lichens so taken for granted ? Little intricate beauties, each seeming to hold it's own tiny world.

 The little resin mouse is one I have had for years. I place it in random areas of the house whenever the mood strikes, and my sweet little mouse has startled a few people over the years because he looks so real. I think he has finally found a permanent home in a terrarium. I placed a small battery powered votive candle in the terrarium to add some interest to it in the evening. You can see not only the moss I have gathered for the terrarium , but also 2 of the African Violets I planted in it. I have many African Violets. They thrive here because I ignore them, only watering them when the soil is dry. Since I have so many I put a few in the terrarium after some serious leaf pruning. I also put last March's shamrock plants in the terrarium and they have already grown and stretched themselves toward the sunlight.



 The Norfolk pine in this terrarium and the other one in this post were bought at the discount section of the local store after Christmas. There were many pots of the little pines decorated with Christmas balls, sparkles, and wrapping paper. They were under $2.00 each. Norfolk Pines are another plant / tree that thrives on neglect around here and for the price, a bargain ! I simply had to take off the well tied ornaments and plant it in the terrarium. Since the terrarium was a gift, the items collected were free from around our home and property, the only money spent was less than $2.00 for this terrarium

 These IKEA terrariums are not only pretty, but functional. They have little props to hold the lid open when needed. The terrarium got a little steamy when the sunshine poured in through the window so I opened the lid.

 This terrarium sits on my coffee table and I really do enjoy looking at it every day, many times. You can see the other terrarium in our living room on the sofa side table. ( left of sofa)

 The red plaid on the terrarium is a reflection of a blanket on an ottoman.

This terrarium is actually an outdoor candle holder I bought very cheaply at a Target sale a few years ago. I placed another of the Norfolk pines in this one, along with mosses, lichen -covered branches, and a small resin Big-Horned sheep figurine bought at a local wildlife park. If you  count the price of the pine and the resin animal ( can't count the price of the cheap candle-holder because it was one of those house-hold items I snatched for another use after years of being a candle-holder ) this terrarium cost me less than $4.00 The Norfolks don't need much humidity so a tightly lidded terrarium would not be a good thing unless it can be lifted like my IKEA terrarium. I have so many more glass containers to be turned into terrariums, and many others already holding small plantings under glass. The creative possibilities are endless for these little worlds and my mind is ever-thinking about them as I go about my days. How can anyone ever be bored when life has so much to offer, so many ways to be creative , and so many people to enjoy them with ? Goodness, you can even use a free-after-use glass peanut butter or pickle jar to make a terrarium. If you're even the slightest bit interested in terrariums , even if you've no money to spare for it, terrariums are possible. I say just be creative, use what's at hand, and JUST DO IT ! Happy planting.

Terrarium Inspired by Real Life

 I was given 2 terrariums for Christmas , thank-you Jim ! I restrained myself and asked for only two. I love terrariums and knew I would easily fill them with plants , moss, and whatever else struck my fancy to add to them. Ever since I can remember, glass containers of any kind with even a hint of greenery or a small wiggling creature contained within just drew me in and captivated my attention and inspired my imagination. They still do. As you can see ( above ) from my planting table where I have unused pots & outdoor stuff waiting for me to put to use, moss just crept in and made itself at home, as it is wont to do in the western part of the Pacific Northwest I call home. Moss is magical to me because it thrives in almost any indoor planting , and if it doesn't , I can go outside, grab some more and replace it. ( Did you know dried moss makes a great fire-starter for the woodstove ? )

 Here is a miniature garden I made almost 3 years ago with my granddaughters. I leave it outside all year and it sits by the fire-pit near the pond. The plants are getting so large I might need to replace them  in the spring. But look at the moss that moved in with the fallen leaves.

 Here is a birdhouse that sits on a very old Cedar stump overlooking the fire pit and surrounded by the branches of a young Cedar tree that has probably sprung up from the tree the stump used to be.

 I found this little mouse in the front yard. It was already dead, probably played to death by our resident mouser, Miss Marple . I don't know what kind of mouse this is, but it was a very cute mouse with extremely large pink ears and the most exquisite feet. Each dainty foot had such pretty toes and fine, almost invisible silver-white fur covered the legs. I could not get a picture of the face to do it justice, but for a mouse, it was a very pretty face. She ( for it was a she ) probably left behind a lot of little mice hungry for her milk , but what is that to a cat ?

My treasure hunt around Cedar Pond garnered me many little treasures and a lot of inspiration. I gathered moss, plants from outside, soil, rocks, a little resin mouse, my terrarium, and happily set about creating a terrarium . If you are interested in the finished result you will be able to see it in my next post.

Leprechauns & Laughter, There Was Kind Of An Irish Theme Goin' On~

I forgot to post a picture of the outdoor fireplace at the Grayson Gardens. Beautiful. I could see myself spending a lot of time in front of this fireplace with friends and family, hmmm, more ideas!

Did you know there was a very distinct Irish theme goin' on at this wedding? Maybe because the bride's father is a leprechaun...see? "Leprechauns , castles, good luck, laughter. Lullabies , dreams and love ever after. Poems and songs with pipes and drums, a thousand welcomes when everyone comes." Irish saying . The bride's father fit this description of 'leprechaun' almost to perfection. Why, he even did Irish jigs on the dance floor. There were even bigger leprechauns, over 6 feet tall...well, he isn't a leprechaun, he's the groom's cousin. I like the boutineer, it also shows a leaning toward the Irish theme.

Here is a close-up. Very unique and creative play on Irish moss and embellishment.

The wedding cakes were many and varied. Each table had a completely different type of cake and frosting. The cakes were labeled. The purpose of this was to #1: be able to indulge in tasting and eating lots of different cake, and #2: cause the guests to migrate from table to table in search of the cake they would prefer and in so doing introduce themselves and engage in conversation with others at the wedding. Kind of a way to enable friendly mixing. Each cake was placed on a bed of moss. ( The Irish theme again, isn't it clever and beautiful?)

Another cake on a bed of moss. Each cake was paired with wines that best suited it and the delicious dinner that was served.

This gentleman came to our table and asked for a slice of the cake on it. I , being one who totally enjoys meeting new people and not particularly shy introduced myself and my relation to the newly wed couple, then asked him his. Lo and behold, he is a famous man, but you'll never recognize him because he is usually in movies with so much make-up on even his own Mother would not know him. He is however, very nice, very entertaining, and even though he is famous I would love to have him and his wife over for dinner to enjoy further conversation. He is hysterically funny, has good taste in cake and friends and his name is Doug Jones*. He also graciously allowed me to photograph him. He is the Silver Surfer in Fantastic Four and you can click on his name to read more about him if you're interested ( you know you are ). There were many other people there we had a blast meeting and laughed til we cried at funny or moving tales, but I don't think you'll see them in the press.

The Bride & Groom's table, the richest and best chocolate cake . The lady that baked all the cakes finished this one at 4:00 a.m. day of the wedding. All the cakes were just baked and frosted and they tasted like it too. Don't you think any respectable Irishman or Irishwoman, Leprechaun, or even Irish American Lady or Gent would expect no less? And a very good time for sure~