The wind is a-whistlin'

Holy gustiness! We are supposed to be having a Nor'easter right now, but mostly what we've got is a LOT of wind. It's also REEEEAAAAALLLLLLY chilly out there. I don't think we'll be seeing summer-like weather for a long while over here, my friends! It's definitely feeling VERY fallish and like we should be drinking hot apple cider and carving pumpkins! It's funny how the weather influences what you feel like eating - how certain foods represent the season...I guess not so much for those of you living in places like Florida (Hi, Mom!). As much as I curse the winter (should be a four-letter word if you know what I mean!), I don't think I'd like living in a place without the proper 4 seasons. I could use about 1 month of winter for the time around Christmas and New Year's, but then I'd be happy with 3 months of spring, 5 months of summer, and 3 months of fall. Doesn't that sound good? Ok. It's settled. That's what we'll do this year, K? K. Good.

In unrelated news, I just learned this interesting thing about honey and allergies. If you have allergies, a teaspoon a day of locally-produced honey can actually really reduce your allergies. It's because the bees feed on the blooming plants in your area, the very things that cause your allergy response, and by ingesting the product of the nectar - the honey - your body builds immunity to those allergens.

I think that's pretty swift! Nifty! Nature is so cool! Love the little natures.

So, I've got me some lovely Essex County wildflower honey over here and I try to take a spoonful of it every day. Tasty and healthy! Nice!

Also unrelated - I just planted 24 more tulips! I don't even know how many bulbs I've got going out there now - daffodils, tete-a-tetes, tulips, crocuses and hyacinth. SO yummy! I just adore spring flowers. I adore everything about them...Anywho, these are the tulips I just put in:They are a double-petal variety called "Peach Melba," which, by the by, used to be one of my most favorite desserts when I was a kid. Deeeee-lish!

In any case, aren't they pretty? I love the greens, pinks and yellows in those together.

I've still got stuff coming in, as well, throughout the garden. Out back, I've got some king-of-hearts bleeding hearts blooming:

Spiderwort blooming:
Not my favorite, but it's a flower. It's October. It's got color. I'll take it.

Hydrangeas producing some new flower heads:I didn't think I'd get flowers coming in this late given our cold temperatures, but there they are!! Bonus!

Butterfly bush is still making fleurs. Sorry for the blurry photo - it's windy out there!

And my yarrow is blooming again!
Cute! I love the frilly leaves on the yarrow and then these little flower heads are just so darn cute!

In other world news, my back is slowly but surely getting better. I did some work for my clients yesterday FINALLY! I took basically three weeks off from gardening - an unprecedented event at this time of year! I still have to be VERY careful and have to ice it two times per day, but MAN! It felt so good to be able to move around yesterday! Weeding was even enjoyable! You know things are desperate when weeding is pleasurable!! Hee!

Last thing for today is that I installed Skype on my computer and now every time one of my co-Skypees goes online I get this funny watery, puddly, wobbly sound on my computer! Anywho, we skyped with my husband's sister the other day since it was their momma's birthday! It's a wonderful invention and FREE!! FREE! So cool! So, go get yourself a webcam if you don't already have one built into your computer, and commence to skyping! It's awesome!

Ok...Off to run a couple errands and then have some important movie-watching to do today!

Happy Friday! Have a great weekend!

Ciao!

Fall fleurs are flourishing!

So, I've still got plenty of planty type things going on over here despite the cooler temperatures and waning sunshine. MAN, is the angle of the sun SO different right now! What a difference a month makes!

I've actually been sitting in the sun for the last hour and a half - plopped a beach chair on the back porch where it was protected from the wind, and I sunned my legs and arms! Felt fabulous, but now my feets are cold! Only in the low 60s today...

Anywho, I took some photos for your eyeballs to enjoy. Shall we take a peek? K.

My rubrums are doing wonderfully - lots of those tufty guys coming out!


New phlox blooming by the stonecrop:Pretty combination.

My annual salvias are still going QUITE strong:


Nasturtiums are covered in blooms on this side of the yard:
I love those frilly guys in the inside of the flower! So cute!

Thought I'd take a shot of my street - loads of tourists roaming around here:


Pretty asters that have reseeded here...I love that when they reseed they revert to their original form which is tall and spikey with tiny flowers: I love that the seeds have the ability to do that - revert to their original or more ancient forms. Like when a viola or even a pansy reseeds? Often it comes back as a Johnny-Jump-Up, the most ancient form of the flower. LOVE that sh*t!!

Lamium is just LOADED with blooms: There was something about this summer where ALL of my lamium plants have done exceptionally well...I've got quite a few - three big ones in the back yard and then this one and five others in the side yard. All have spread spread spread like crazy this year!

I've got a few echinacea left:
There's another aster that planted itself there behind the echinacea! Surprise! I've got a few other asters here and there, as well!

And, lastly? The mystery plant (weed) in the planter with the forget-me-nots are going to bloom!
I thought it was milkweed from the leaves, but it's not! Will have to see what develops!

Ok. I'm off to walk the doggies and have a snack. One lonely little taco for lunch did not fill me up at all!!

Happy Thanksgiving to all you Canadians who read this (all of zero), eh?