Love Love Fall Color

I love love love all the fabulous fall colors at the front of my property .  The Yellow Chrysanthemums are blooming and the Maroon Chrysanthemums that are spaced between the Yellow are coming soon .   We are expecting a warmer week into the nineties that will help them to bloom .

Some twenty years ago, Oleander plants were planted around my property on the outside of my fence.  In the past few weeks I have been able to clean up all the weeds and stuff at the base as well as prune the very large shrubs .  Last Spring the weeds were so high that I had to "weed whack" .  I hope this coming year I can control them better .   I am very happy with how it looks now.

The Autumn  Joy Sedum color is changing into its fall shade of a deeper pink .  So pretty!  

Finally, the luscious looking tomatoes are turning RED .  I look forward to making a Tomato Tart or something interesting .  I bet I am going to enjoy the delightful home garden tomato flavor !

Most of us enjoy a surprise and I have another little garden surprise .  At the time that I purchased the tomato plants, I also tossed in my cart one zucchini plant .  All of  these were little 4 inch potted plants .  With no  planning , I just popped the zucchini into my strawberry barrel that was doing very little in the growing department .

I think the wine barrel looks so nice with the strawberry plant expanding over the edges .  And, that little zucchini plant is no longer little!

 Look ! ! !  A zucchini !

 And, another one on the way !

Hopefully, there will be enough to add as a side dish to a Pot Roast dinner I am planning for the near future .  The fall weather says to me that it is time to do some yummy cooking.

Sadly , a little neighborhood nursery that always stocked top quality nursery stock has lost their lease and will be closing .  The nursery sits on a site of large acreage that will be going up for sale .  As a result they have a 25% off sale on every thing .  I stopped in and bought four Lavender plants that I am planting between some daylilies along a pathway .

It is taking me a long time to dig the holes to plant them because there is so much rock to do battle with .  You can see how dense the rock is in these photos .  I also have to buy some planter mix to give them support to hopefully continue to grow into healthy plants.

I think the contrast of foliage color will look good .

The White Clematis continues to bloom profusely on the fence behind the White Garden.

And, and, and, believe it or not, I baked some yummy blueberry muffins.  The cooler weather is coaxing me into the kitchen.

I hope your week is going well and you are starting to enjoy the definite change of season.

Today was my 78th Birthday.   It was just a usual day-no celebration.  Life is what it is.

Mary

Looks Good Doesn't It - And More

With all the hard work/labor I have been doing  it does not leave me much time and energy to do much cooking. If any at all.  It is a good thing I have a microwave.  Other than popping something in the microwave, fresh fruit has been my "go to food" along with cheese and crackers.  It is surprising to me how many types of crackers are available !

I must not forget to mention how much I am enjoying hand picking and eating my ripened figs directly from the tree , especially when I am doing the daily times two garden watering.  They are so sweet and delicious .

 I am not sure if I will be able to do much baking or cooking with the figs this year . I am really working hard to do a lot more outdoor maintenance and general cleanup .

Since I am very overdue in stocking my freezer with some "make ahead dinners" I made myself get busy and change that.  How's this?

Chicken Thighs with Mushrooms and Shallots

Now ,  look at these wonderful Tomatoes in my garden !  I have two plants and they are both producing Heirloom Tomatoes .   They are taking a long time to turn red and the weather is starting to cool .  Maybe , I will have to make Fried Green Tomatoes .  I would like that , too .

This has been quite exciting because I bought the little plants on impulse .  I must say that I have been very good about regular watering and fertilizing .   The TLC makes a difference!

By now ,  you know Me And My Rocks !!!

Well, I have been working on some of the path borders .  I find it quite enjoyable and I like the various colors .  It feels very creative .  Kind of like a "Rock Mason" .

And ,  sometimes the rocks need to be moved .  I can do wonders with a crow bar working just a little at a time!  I limit myself to the short bar because I don't want to get myself into trouble with a long pry bar.  Remember ,  I have a back injury !!!   Aren't these beauties ?  Yes, I really am a "crazy lady" .

Remember these flowers ?  Gomphrena "Fireworks"  that I mail ordered last year ?  You know, the ones I foolishly cut back in late fall.

This Post will refresh your memory.   And, then  this Post will also.

Ta - da !!  Would you believe it ?  This next photo shows a couple flowers from my plants this year !!!

I think they are so very pretty and they sway in the breeze. 

They were slow to show any growth .  But four out of the six plants did fairly well .

Along the way ,  I learned that they are an annual plant in some parts of the country .  They do not over-winter very well .  And, when they do it is because they are self seeding .  Seeds are available as well as plants at certain times of the year by mail order .  Lessons learned.  We'll wait and see what next year brings.

Well, that's a little more catch up on what is keeping me so busy at this time of year.

Wishing you a good end of Summer Weekend.   The California weather is wonderful ,  at least for a few days.

Mary

More About Wild Perennial Sweet Pea

I posted about my challenge against Wild Sweet Pea several days ago.  Progress continues.

This is some of what I blogged about my current project of cleaning up my garden slope that is covered in Ivy.  English Ivy can be very invasive and the time had come to corral it .  More importantly , since the area was covered with cedar tree seedlings and an invasive plant called Wild Perennial Sweet Pea I decided to remove the surface of the ivy and the other offending plants and then allow fresh ivy to once again cover the slope. See that little purple spot in the photo above ?  That is the purple (no fragrance) wild sweet pea flower that have been spreading their long tentacles all over the ivy.

(google image)

The wild flower is Lathyrus latifolius - Perennial Pea, Sweet Pea, Everlasting Pea . It vines to 6 feet long with winged stems and  uses petiole-terminating tendrils to climb. There are one to several pink to magenta butterfly-like blossoms on smooth, unwinged pedicels . 

This is what the slope looks like now .  I'm getting there .  The only thing that I still have to remove is what is left in the ditch .  I have left some Ice Plant in one area and also some Vinca Minor as well as a few other plants .

This is looking down from the pathway .  The English Ivy is starting to come back nicely !

When I say the Wild Sweet Pea is invasive, let me show you how fast it can grow .  The next three photos of different areas show the growth since I cut them just a few days ago .  I plan to take more aggressive measures wherever I see signs of the invasive Wild Sweet Pea .

It will be so nice to have this project completed.

Other progress is happening with the Patio Furniture .  I have completed painting the large table and four chairs .  And, I am so pleased with the nice attractive outcome .

It has been a relatively easy project and when the paint has cured for a day or so I will take another photo when it is all set up !   HooRay!  Since I have the paint , I think I will continue and paint the small table and the two rocker chairs.

I hope you had a good weekend and the week to come will be enjoyable.

Mary

The Summer Flowers Are Slowly Waving Bye-Bye

The Spring and Summer colors of the garden are starting to fade. 

But , much to my delight , the Hollyhocks are continuing to bloom .  In spite of the fact that I have been doing battle with insects that I think are Japanese Beetles. 

And, the White New Dawn Rose is going strong with continual beautiful blooms.

With the extensive work in the garden this year I have changed a few things around .  When cutting back the Ivy  (which I have almost finished)  and hopefully removing the nasty wild invasive sweetpea I decided to change the location of the Gazing Ball.

Perhaps you can see that there are about five Lily of the Nile plants near the gazing ball.  Well, they have never bloomed in the past.  However, there was one nice flower this year.  I may be moving them into more sun.  I' m not sure.

This cement pedestal is one I have had for a long time and I just painted it lavender but it looks blue in the photo . In the past I used an upside-down tomato cages to support it among the Ivy .  Now the ball is in the long flower bed along the pathway.   

Let me say a little more about the purpose of cutting back the Ivy .  When I moved here many years ago , the whole area was covered with Invasive Wild Sweet Pea.  I managed to eliminate it and started some Ivy which I have been very happy with.  For years there were no problems with a return of the unwanted Sweet Pea until about two years ago .  The time had come to act on it or I may find myself "in the land of no return".

It seems to grow enthusiastically  naturalizing in open fields and in abandoned gardens where it quickly gets out of control. The plant propagates easily from seed .  It is usually a purplish pink, but occasionally deep purple or pure white. Admire it from a distance, for it is both toxic and invasive.

The ever faithful Sedum has been putting on a beautiful show - changing color from white to the soft pink.  They sure seem to be a sturdy plant and I like that.

This year I have really enjoyed my garden and I have done a lot of work and it is beginning to show . There have been so many different flowers and colors to nurture and enjoy.

I enjoy being outdoors so very much.  The time I have spent in my garden has helped me so much to return to a more balanced person following some very difficult years. Of course, there are other facets to this renewed and refreshing feeling.

For all who are being affected by the many unusual circumstances and difficulties that are happening in our current world,  I wish you strength, comfort, resilience and love.

Mary 

Optimistic And Grateful But Praying For Patience

Today is a Special Day .  Since June, I have been gently trying to have a telephone conversation with my daughter-in-law in regards to my son .   For various reasons that conversation was not happening. Even though on the rare occasion there was brief telephone contact she was always cordial but stated that she did not want to talk with me while my son was home.  Two weeks ago she answered my question as to why .  According to her he was having emotional difficulty when my name was mentioned .   A very important note is that she and I have never had much communication . Therefore, she only knows about me through my son .  Three days ago I left her another message stating that my Psychologist doesn't feel she can help us if there is no communication within the family members .  That was my idea and it is so very true.   My psychologist is on vacation for one month .

This afternoon she telephoned me and we visited on the phone for one and a half hours !   It was remarkable how receptive she was with what I had to say .  We were able to discuss so many topics and she was happy to learn about my experiences with him and my opinions . She said that what I had to say answered so many questions that she has had about him.  I am blessed that she really loves him even though,  as she says, "he's a strange dude" .   The conversation was a lot for her to process and as she said, it will take some time .   At the moment she is on board to work on helping him - which really means THEM .  They have been together for 12 years and have been married for 8 years .  The years have been filled with a lot of turmoil and adversity .

After all these years, he started to see a Psychiatrist on the referral of a Primary Care Physician and has been on some medication .  He has responded to it favorably and has said that he feels so much better.  My daughter-in-law retired from employment a few months ago and they were having difficulties with adjusting and that is when he went to the doctor, after she went to her doctor .  She said that she did not say anything to him about him going to the doctor .  It was HIS initiative .

They have a lot going on in their life at this time .  They are trying to sell their house and they are in the process of upgrading a house that my son bought 17 years ago, which they will be moving into . So, she says that after they are moved she will be able to get involved fully with this journey that I am very optimistic about pursuing with the professional guidance .

If interested, take a look at my post from July 3, 2017,  When-I-Was-21- - - A Distressful Post  for a little background information.

It's a New Week and a Holiday too .  Have Fun.

Mary