A Yard Filled with Color

Looking at my gardens fills me with joy in every season. Autumn color is beginning to peak. Oh, how glorious it is!

 That maple - my goodness, what color! I cannot stop looking out my window onto this scene.
The maple is 'Autumn Blaze' and the little red tree on the left is a dwarf flowering dogwood.

 The red twig dogwood is a stunner. It will retain its crimson stems all winter long.

 This white pine in my neighbor's backyard is one of my source trees for pine needles for mulch.

 I love fresh mulch, and the look it gives to the gardens.

I found another Royal Albert Canada series teacup

Perhaps you remember my recent find, a part of Royal Albert's Canada series, "From Sea to Sea." To take a look at that post, click here.    

On a recent trip to an antique store, I found another.                                    

 Here is "Our Emblems Dear," illustrating Canada's provincial floral emblems. This teacup was made in 1967 by Royal Albert.

Really pretty, isn't she? Unfortunately, the price was higher than I wished to pay so she stayed on the shelf.

I thought my Canadian friends would enjoy seeing this pretty teacup, though.

Also I want to share my trip to Miss Spenser's Special Teas on that same day.

 It was a Downton Abbey tea!

 Lady Cora's Ambrosia Salad was our starter.

 A beautiful, authentic English tea room! I adore Miss Spenser's!

Great food, great tea, great ambience - and a trip to an antique store (AND the Bridges of Madison County - no, Clint Eastwood was not there!)

A good time was had by all.  :)

Linking to Tea Time Tuesday, Tuesday Cuppa Tea, A Return to Loveliness, and Friends Sharing Tea

Color!

Autumn is arriving gently, with a little more color each day. I love the magnificence that is autumn in the midwest.

 Looking out back and across into the neighbors' yards

 My border gardens (foreground) are full of annuals that continue to bloom profusely. Out back, a few of our 29 trees...

 A small patch of mums add color to the cottage garden.

 More mums, these are intermingling with alyssum 'Snow Princess' in the border gardens.

 The beetles seem to love this mum.

 A dragonfly in the mum bed

 Obedient plant has been blooming like a champ in the rocky garden.

 The cosmos bloom from early summer till frost.

We do have COLOR, but we will have more. Peak color in our area should be this weekend. I hope to have more beauty to show you soon. As someone said, in autumn the flowers are the leaves!

Linking to Fertilizer Friday

Notecard Party

Fall is a beautiful time of year, a real blessing for farmers, and for photographers (and wannabes). Here are a few photos from my collection that I like. Photo #2 was not taken by me, but I set it up...wanted a pic of good friends when we vacationed together in Hermann, MO.

 "Buckeyes"

Did you know that carrying a buckeye in your pocket is said to bring good luck?

Caution: Buckeyes can be toxic if eaten.

 "Friends"

Bob, Jeri, Ron, Me

 "Harvest Bounty"

"Boo!"

Sharing with Vee at her Notecard Party

Happy Halloween! Autumn Joy!

Little Pink Pumpkins

A pink tea in honor of breast cancer awareness. . .

 Rose Chintz dishes from Johnson Brothers

 Jack-be-nimble baby pumpkins, spray painted and glittered for my tea tray

 Green tea

 Gingerbread and whipped cream...yummy

Wishing all of my friends from Canada a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Linking to Tea Time Tuesday, Tuesday Cuppa Tea, A Return to Loveliness, and Friends Sharing Tea

The compost is complete!

Toward the rear of our property, right by the hosta farm, you will find our compost bin. It's a two-sided bin - and much of the compost on the east side is "done."

Black gold

I removed the compost that was done from the east bin. For the compost in the bin that was not yet finished, I moved it over into the west bin.

This bin was already about 3/4 full, before I added to it from the other side. I had been working (stirring) the compost quite a bit over the last couple of weeks and this compost has gotten very hot. One might say, the quicker to "cook" with, yet if it is too hot it kills off the beneficial microorganisms that help with the decomposition process. 

The solution? Turn frequently, and it will cool down.

In the meantime, I think it's hot enough that I could make baked potatoes in it ~ lol!

Starting at square one again

You do not want to just keep adding new materials to your established pile. If you do that, the compost will never be completed, except, perhaps, on the bottom. Thus, after emptying the east bin I threw in some weeds, plant debris and kitchen material to begin a new batch of compost. These are all nitrogen sources.

You also need carbon sources. My most-used carbons are dried leaves and shredded paper. I added a bit of this paper.

How about a little coffee in the compost? These are the used grounds, saved for my husband from a coffee shop. Coffee is a nitrogen source. For more information on using coffee in the yard and garden, click here.

Throw in the coffee filters and all. Don't forget that tea and tea bags are compostable as well.

I gave it a little stir, then  threw a couple of shovelfuls of almost-done compost for good measure. You can add some soil every once in awhile as well. For more specifics on composting benefits/composting how-to's, you can read my earlier post here.

Linking to Fertilizer Friday