Sunday Snippet: The Autumn Bittersweet of It All Edition
We have giveaway winners this morning! Kathy Anderson and Ginni Selby, you will both receive an ARC ebook of The Rancher’s Christmas Wife. Thanks for coming by! I love hearing from all of you!
This week, Husband and I have been working on putting our lovely gardens to bed for the winter. Yesterday, Grandboy came over to help out. There’s nothing better than working in the gardens with a willing and strong 14-year-old. “What’s next, Nanny?” The three of us worked for a couple of hours, and although there’s more to do, we ran out of room in the bin that goes to the curb on Tuesday, so we’ll collect him up again in a couple of weeks to finish the job.
Husband hates cutting back time because there are still bees and a few random butterflies flitting about and he thinks we should leave the last of the flowers for them. Some things, like the verbena, which is eternal, are still blooming, as well as the snapdragons and the hydrangea, so I left those for the bees and for Husband. But mostly, things are drying up and dropping seeds and giving up the ghost for winter. The front gardens look pretty bare now, but they’re tidy and ready for next spring.
My office garden is getting tidier, too. We took out the dried-up heliopsis, the browning hostas, and the crispy ferns that were so green and lush just a couple of months ago. I finally found a place where lavender thrives–it’s by the brick garage wall and for the very first time, that lovely scented plant has survived in my garden. Honestly, I would plant a whole garden of nothing but lavender, but I would miss the other colors and variety of flowers and plants.
The deer have been eating my hollyhocks. At first I thought it was rabbits, but the bitten-off stems are too high, unless we’ve suddenly gotten huge jackrabbits around here, which I seriously doubt. It’s hard to imagine deer so close to my house, but it seems as if they’re sneaking in at night and nibbling down the hollyhocks before they have a chance to bloom. Sigh.
One sort of fun thing that happened–as we were working yesterday, a pretty young girl trotted up into the yard, her arms full of library books. “Oh, you’re taking them out!” she exclaimed.
“Yup, it’s time.” I said. “You are?”
“I’m Sadie.” She was lovely and her smile was just so infectious. Grandboy would deny looking, but he was looking. “I’m just walking home from the library and I had to stop.”
I introduced us, and after we exchanged the pleasantries, she said, “I loved walking past here at dusk–these yellow flowers were so luminous in the evening light.”
My writer heart immediately reached out to her… “luminous in the evening light.” Wow. If this girl isn’t a writer, she should be. I started to ask her, but she was off again, bouncing away with a wave and a smile. I appreciated knowing that my flowers brought some poetry to her soul and I was grateful for her words, which I stored away in my mind and later added to my notebook of words.
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GIVEAWAY! I’ve got two ARCs of The Rancher’s Christmas Wife for two lucky commenters. Just tell me: Are you putting your summer gardens to bed yet? What did you have planted there?
Gratitude for This Week: Tidy front gardens; Time with Grandboy; Went to hear Son’s band play last night–they were amazing! Lovely lunch with Sister PJ. Got in a bike ride.
Stay well, keep speaking out and vote, vote, vote! Always choose kindness and most of all, mes amis, stay grateful!
22 Comments
Patricia Barraclough
We never managed to overcome the weeds this year and get a decent garden in. The ones I did get in are still doing well. It got into the 30’s last night and will again tonight. I’m not sure how much damage that will cause. My husband has been weeding. In some areas of the flower beds it is the third time but they come back so fast we havent been able to keep them down. Hopefully in a few weeks things will have died back enough to really clean up. I need to redo my iris beds and move them around. The same for the gladiolas. We were over run by moles this year and they pretty much destroyed one ring of hosta that had about 20 large plants. Not dure what I will do with that bed next year. If I am smart, I will shrink back the size of my flower beds. The ones around three sides of our house are the size of yours. All the others are so much bigger.
I am glad you have grandson help. I did that with my grandmother and an aunt when I was his age. My grandchildren are either too far away or too old and busy. The great greandchildren are too young. Take care and enjoy the rest of Fall.
Nan
Flowerbeds are work, aren’t they, Patricia? But so worth it when they fill your world with color. And yes to Grandboys! He is our heart always.
Latesha B.
I live in an apartment, so no garden for me. But I do love plants.
Nan
Hey, Latesha, plants count as gardening… seriously!
Ginni Selby
Because of the drought in our area, I haven’t had a garden for a couple of years.
Nan
Oh, crud. I’m so sorry! Houseplants, my friend. Hugs and thanks for stopping by!
Roseann McGrath Brooks
It’s so nice when someone appreciates your hard work, whether in the garden or anywhere else. And when it’s a young person with “luminous” words on the way to the library, I know there’s hope.
Nan
Right? She was charming and her words made my day!
Kate Sparks
I have a small bed of just wildflowers.
Glenda M
Our summer beds and plants are recovering from the summer heat. They are in their fall recovery time right now. We are planning a fall garden to get in by this weekend which should work since they are expecting a warm and wet winder here in central Texas.
I just hope my husband has time to put in the drip watering system he has planned in case they are wrong about the wetter than normal season.
Nan
How lovely that you get gardens all year ’round, Glenda! I’ll hope you have plenty of water for those winter flowers. Hugs!
Nan
Oh, Kate, I’ll bet that’s gorgeous!
Liz Flaherty
I love your visit from Miss Sadie and her choice of words.
Nan
Wasn’t that amazing? luminous… so perfect!
Kathy Anderson
Unfortunately, we didn’t have anything planted this year. Your yard sounds lovely with such a variety of flowers. What a blessing to have grandchildren nearby.
Nan
Hi, Kathy! Thanks for dropping by and yes, Grandboy is our heart and we are so glad to have him and his parents close. Hugs!
Julie Dahl
We never planted a garden.
Nan
Julie, I’m not really a gardener, but I love flowers, so the work is worth the results!
bn100
growing herbs
Nan
I grow basil in a pot by the deck both here at home and at the lake. Yum to bruschetta!
Doris Lankford
My husband has put his vegetable garden to bed except for the marigolds and zinnias. We need to work on the flower beds. The peonies and hydrangeas need to be cut back.
Nan
Oh, man, I’m jealous of your zinnias! I can’t seem to grow them! I’m going to try them in a pot next year. Hugs, Doris, so glad to see you here!