This Is Halloween . . . Almost

Welcome to Fall, at That Old House.

Please ignore the summery wreath on the door.

Yeah.  I bought Fall stuff to recycle that wreath.

The Fall stuff is still in its Michael's bag.  My bad.

Time for mums and pumpkins, for leaves on the grass,

and for - inexplicably - the lace cap hydrangea turning back to pink.

Time to let the coleus, grown to bush-size, finally bloom.

We won't tell them that their flowers are kind of goofy.

Mum's the word.  Yes, I said that.  Mums.

And we're sneaking up on Halloween.

Time for tables with pumpkins and ghosties.

Yes, I am always thankful to be living in this old barn of a house.

And I'm thankful that for the last 2 years, our only mice have been these:

Pumpkins and Spiders and Crows, Oh My!

Another Halloween Tablescape.

Now I must fly, my pretties!

Working today, slaving away at the antiques mall.

It's dirty work, but somebody's gotta do it.  :-)

Happy Almost-Halloween!  -- Cass

Letting Go Of Summer

Okay, I admit it.
It is Fall, and it's time to think of Fall things.
Like, what to do with these:

Pay no attention to the shutter that's off its bottom pintle.
It's been set to rights.  Just make believe it is straight.

Back in late Spring, I bought 3 Boston ferns at Trader Joe's for $9 apiece.  

Think I can find space for them indoors when the weather turns ugly?

They are ee-NOR-moos.

This must be said in a charming Italian accent, and no, I won't explain why.

Then there's the balcony geranium, which was fuller and 

more bloom-y a few weeks ago, but is still churning out the goods.

I need a bigger house.  There's not enough ceiling to hang them all.

There are also two nice asparagus ferns, in iron plant holders on
either side of the front door.  They too are growing their little hearts out.

I hate to think of tossing all these gorgeous big plants!

And speaking of turning outside stuff into inside stuff,

how 'bout them hydrangeas?

Lace caps, on the side of That Old House,

in full bloom back in July, during that heat wave.

Pink and blue flowers on one plant.  Neat-o.

And as they are now.

Kinda peaky.
Although tastefully pale and interesting.

Do you think they'll look good dried?  
They are almost there already.

I used to dry the big mopheads every fall and they'd last all winter.

But my 3 mophead bushes yielded ONE bloom this season.

This was it, our entire crop of big hydrangea blooms:

I guess it couldn't hurt to try with the lacecaps, huh?
Nothing ventured, and all that jazz. -- Cass

Just found out I'm working tomorrow at the antiques center.  See you Friday!

Link Parties

At Savvy Southern Style, it's Wow Us Wednesday.  

I'm not sure I've wow'd anyone, but I'm jumping onto the link wagon anyway.  Click here!

Outdoor Wednesday is the Link Party at A Southern Daydreamer.

Join Susan and her guests . . . just click here!