“I would rather sit on a pumpkin, and have it all to myself, than be crowded on a velvet cushion.”
– Henry David Thoreau
11/28/17:
Hard to believe it's November already, even more odd to think that the month's almost over. It's ridiculously Fall out here: deciduous trees are dropping red and gold leaves, squirrels are digging holes in my yard to store nuts for winter, and meadow mushrooms are popping up all over the grass.
I was poking around in the yard on a damp, gray morning, after a full day and night of decent rainfall. Surprisingly, the megawatt begonias, which seem tropical to me with their red and yellow flowers, are still growing like crazy despite cold nighttime temperatures. It's an annual, I wonder how long they will keep this up? Nearby, I discovered new blooms on the little zinnias. I have pink, beige, and yellow varieties. Along the back fence, a couple of buds have opened on the camellia bushes. The pale pink ones are always the first to show up. Squirrels do chew on the unopened buds, but maybe they'll be content for a while with the dish of peanuts, pecans and birdseed we've attached to a fencepost.
I moved one of the begonias indoors a few months ago. It stopped blooming when hanging from the ceiling, probably wasn't getting enough light. It's doing better on the windowsill but I should find a different sunny spot; Arragon cat jumps over it frequently and may eventually knock it down onto our new couch.
I was poking around in the yard on a damp, gray morning, after a full day and night of decent rainfall. Surprisingly, the megawatt begonias, which seem tropical to me with their red and yellow flowers, are still growing like crazy despite cold nighttime temperatures. It's an annual, I wonder how long they will keep this up? Nearby, I discovered new blooms on the little zinnias. I have pink, beige, and yellow varieties. Along the back fence, a couple of buds have opened on the camellia bushes. The pale pink ones are always the first to show up. Squirrels do chew on the unopened buds, but maybe they'll be content for a while with the dish of peanuts, pecans and birdseed we've attached to a fencepost.
I moved one of the begonias indoors a few months ago. It stopped blooming when hanging from the ceiling, probably wasn't getting enough light. It's doing better on the windowsill but I should find a different sunny spot; Arragon cat jumps over it frequently and may eventually knock it down onto our new couch.
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Begonias and zinnias.
Inside: begonia and Arragon.
Outside: squirrel with a peanut.
As usual this time of year, I am thinking about handmade Christmas presents and continue to be immersed in crafting a variety of things. I set up an Etsy site to sell my crafts on Monday, and made my first sale! (Thank you Lori!) So exciting. Currently I'm offering the Garden Flowers 2018 calendar, but I'll be taking photos of my garden-inspired beaded jewelry and potpourri this week and adding listings to the site. All this stuff would make great gifts. Just sayin'.
I recently made an online purchase myself: a guide to making organic potting mix. Now to find inexpensive sources for the ingredients, some of which aren't familiar: I'd never heard of the mineral zeolite before. I can use the potting mix when moving plants such as the indoor maranta into bigger pots, and to start seedlings, when I decide what I'm going to plant next.
I recently made an online purchase myself: a guide to making organic potting mix. Now to find inexpensive sources for the ingredients, some of which aren't familiar: I'd never heard of the mineral zeolite before. I can use the potting mix when moving plants such as the indoor maranta into bigger pots, and to start seedlings, when I decide what I'm going to plant next.