Goodbye, Chlorophyll, It's Been Good To Know Ya

Autumn has its charms:  apples, pumpkins, brilliant color, 
cool clear days, stupid-easy seasonal decorating
(just plop a pumpkin or a mum anywhere) . . . .

But I am not a total fan of watching Summer shrivel up.

Perhaps it makes me think of the skin on my neck, now that I'm past 60.

Oops.  Sorry about the trash can full of weeds.  Not a staged picture!

 Leaves are frisbee-ing themselves off the trees,
most flowering plants have retired for the year,

but our tomatoes are still grunting out babies, trying to outrun Jack Frost.

These guys are doing their best to beat the coming frost.

Yes, we added a mum and a pumpkin to the sunroom doorway.

The Rieger Begonia that was blooming so beautifully there

totally gave up the ghost -- folded like a cheap suit, the coward.

An occasional Knockout is still outing itself.

The Russian Sage is soldiering on.

The bees are all over it, bless their little pollen-spreading hearts.

But Fall is winning.

In the sunroom border, the portulaca is kaput.

Thank you, wax begonias, for hanging on.

I've never much liked you, but you are tough buggers.  Respect.

Hmmm... okay.  A fresh mum does bring new color to the fading garden, doesn't it?

Although a glance down, and the very dead cosmos stalks

make an interesting, Addams Family display.  :-P 
Yes, weeds everywhere.

(Bad back the past few weeks. No weeding.)

But Autumn brings many blessings, as I try and remind myself.

It is pretty.

It brings families together for Thanksgiving ....

And ... then ... there's Christmas.  :-)

Thanksgiving.

Don't panic, my friends,

but it's fewer than 50 days to Turkey Day!

And I am still working on making my TBDBT List.

(To Be Done By Thanksgiving List.  Always made.  Never finished.)

I wish you a happy Thursday.

-- Cass

A Welcome Fall Party -- Darn It

Yes, it galls me, but I have to bow to the calendar. It really is Fall now. I'm waving the white flag of Summer Surrender, and celebrating the good in this Season. Blast.

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(New Jersey) - Pumpkin Garland Runs Amuck - Tries to Strangle Dime Store Scarecrow!

In Monday's post, I asked your opinion about draping a garland of teeny pumpkins and squash over our fireplace mantel as part of the new Fall decorations. (Click here.)

The little punkin chain lost the informal poll.

I agree; they just didn't look quite right dangling in front of the mantelpiece. I tried swagging them up in the middle, but no. . . still not quite right.

So today we'll see if they can fit in anywhere else, as That Old House joins
Rhondi's Welcome Fall party at her Rose Colored Glasses blog.


I'll be using Three Or More things I found in the house to decorate my pie safe;
how's that for fitting into Tam's Three Or More Tuesday party at The Gypsy's Corner?

Click on any of the highlighted words, or the icons, to visit these parties
and these two lovely blogs and see what other folks are featuring today.

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The pie safe in the conservatory began life probably in the mid 19th century, homemade by someone with more need than time; it is not finely done. But I'm sure it saw good use in someone's kitchen, keeping varmints out of the food.

It was my Mom's; I brought it here two weeks ago. (Click here.)

My husband believes it will be filled with pies; he has a rich fantasy life.

To celebrate this brand new season, I began with early apples

from a New Jersey orchard, on a white platter I got at a thrift shop this summer.

Added a plum-and-pewter candleholder, a gift from my friend Betsy.

I love the reds and golds and oranges of autumn,

but I like to also bring in that rich plum of fallen leaves and ripe fruit.

An old vanity jar full of sedum blossoms, plucked from the border.

And a little old pitcher, an Ebay score.

There. I like it.

Let's add a goofy scarecrow

and a bittersweet wreath balanced on the windowsill.

That window is at the foot of our back stairs and gives light from the sunroom onto the landing.

For Halloween, a little stack of Jack'O'Lanterns would be nice.

Oh my.
Look who showed up.
The scarecrow doesn't look pleased.

Sorry, fellas. You don't belong here either. . .

Nor here.

Nor here.

Nor here.

This could get old.

OK. You can stay on the cupboard until your father gets home
and we decide what to do with you.

I wanted to use that pumpkin tureen, way up there on top of the kitchen cupboard.

It's one of my favorite things, but it's too much trouble to wrestle it down and I'm afraid of dropping it on the tile floor. I'll wait till Howard gets home. He won't need to stand on a chair. I hate to stand on chairs.


Our grapes are ready.
We've been harvesting them over the last couple of days. My dad helped on Sunday, but he ate as many as he put in the bucket. I'm going to make Grape Jam, friends. Stay tuned. I don't promise success!


Tomorrow -- I am featuring some wonderful things I won in two giveaways, and am delighted to show off to you. Please come back! -- Cass