~Mid September~

Chilly mornings! Warm afternoons with the sun shining! It's mid September and it is a great time of year. The locally grown zucchini and tomatoes are still available to purchase from garden markets and road side stands in our area. Colorful Mums are also found at these markets. The yellow, maroon, white or lavender flowers add a great touch to the landscape around our homes.

Butternut Squash are also ready to purchase now! That veggie is a fave in my family, so a bushel (now packed in a carton) is always purchased. The orange veggies will be peeled/ steamed and packed away in our freezer to enjoy during the colder months. Yes, Butternut Squash will also find its way on our dinner table this week! 

It is a great time of year!
Enjoy!

     

Late Summer Flowers

September!

A quick walk around our yard has me appreciating and enjoying the colorful flowers.  Soon, it will be time to save the Zinnia seeds!  

Enjoy!   

September Surprises!

A quick walk around our yard!

A beautiful September day!  Sometimes cloudy and at other times sunny.  Now, the decorative grasses have fronds that move gracefully in the breeze.  The Phlox are beginning to blossom, too.  Earlier this year the deer also enjoyed our garden and they had too many of the Phlox buds for snacks in the wee hours of the mornings.  What a great surprise to see a few of these bright lavender flowers!

Our lavender Rhododendrum has flowers, too!  This very interesting shrub always has a mind of its own.  Some of the buds blossom in the Spring and others blossom in autumn.  It has buds that are getting ready either for spring or for autumn!

A quick walk around our yard always has new surprises!

Enjoy!   

September Colors

Took a quick walk in our neighborhood this afternoon.  What a great surprise to see so many different colors just down the street! The reds, the oranges and the yellows mingled in with the greens all look beautiful.  Autumn is definitely here!

 Enjoy!

 

Enjoying the Colors!

The remaining views!

All summer and into autumn we have been enjoying the beautiful vibrant colors in our gardens!  Glancing in any direction brings new views.  As the summer progresses the colors changed as the perennials changed.  Now that we are at the end of September I was happily surprised to see rosebuds on our rose bushes!

Looking carefully into one of our gardens a remaining yellow D'Oro Lily was blossoming!  There are even a few more buds.

Our Porcupine Grasses now have copper colored fronds on top.  As the gentle breezes blow, they move gracefully.

Suddenly, the Holly Bush has bright red berries!  We know that a "hard" frost is in our future, so it's great to appreciate the last views of colorful flowers in our yard.  Soon, the bright colors of autumn on the trees will make an appearance.

Enjoy!

Have a Safe Labor Day!!

"The Lineman"
by Norman Rockwell in 1948
courtesy of the Norman Rockwell Museum

The Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, MA has been one of my fave places for a number of years!  Every visit brings me back to view paintings that I have enjoyed so many times before like "Home For Christmas"- 1967 (Stockbridge Main Street at Christmas).  Some works are on view on a rotation basis, so it is a welcome surprise to see them.

On this Labor Day when we honor and remember the American workers, how fitting it is to spotlight Norman Rockwell's "The Lineman"- 1948.  This was an advertisement for the American Telephone and Telegraph Company.  With Hurricane Dorian on the east coast, there are many dedicated workers spending their time making preparations.  Currently, everyone is getting prepared.

Thank you to all of the workers who are coming to the aid of the people who will find the next few days very challenging!

To all in the path of Dorian, be safe! 

      

Surprise!

What a great surprise!  The Monarch Butterfly returned to visit our Zinnias in our side garden.  It challenged me to take a photo as it circled around me.  Then, it landed!  Snap!!!

Enjoy!

Looking Forward- Zinnia Seeds!

This past weekend some of the colorful Zinnia blossoms were snipped off from the plants.  My plan has started.  After these flowers dry, I'll save the seeds for next year's gardens.  The bug?  No, that's not part of the plan.  :)

Enjoy!

 

R-e-l-a-x-i-n-g!

Nauset Beach, Orleans, MA

Getting back into the swing of things after a great vaca at the Cape!  Sunny days in September, watching & listening to the waves at our fave beach - Nauset Beach, dining on fresh seafood every evening- ahhhhh!  Totally FuN!

Stopping in at the Fishing Pier in Chatham, MA.  One Fishing Boat had finished unloading its "catch of the day".

Taking in the view on the right side-

"Who is watching who" moment between a Seal & a Sea Gull!

Now where is my fridge & my stove?  :)

We did enjoy!