My Garden is Getting ready to finish up.

 Well last night while I was changing the water in the birdbath in my garden, I could see signs of the garden getting ready to finish up.  I trimmed back the red and pink yarrow.  I snipped off finished flowers of my cone flower.  I trimmed back the basil in my herb garden and the spent roses.  There are still flowers blooming but I can see that it is getting ready soon to finish up.  The petunias look pathetic and will be pulled out soon.  I'm only holding on to them for the bumble bees.  They still like to sit on the remaining flowers and take the last nectar out of them.  The hummingbirds are getting ready to leave in a little while.  The ones that are left here fight like crazy but when they do finally light on the feeders they sip up the homemade nectar like crazy for their long trips.  I still enjoy seeing the Eastern Phoebe that we have in the yard come to the birdbath every night.  She swoops in thru the water and then sits on the armillary to dry off.  My little chickadees come in to the feeder with their happy little faces chirping away.  We still have tons of house finches, a few pairs of cardinals, gold finches and Carolina Wrens.  I love to watch the little Carolina Wren babies figuring out how to feed at the feeder and drink from the birdbath.  The hydrangeas in the side garden are turning an dark pink/brown/tan/amber color now, which is a sure sign of Fall.  I have decorated the house for Fall and I am ready for Fall to arrive temperature wise.  Here are some photos of my garden and some of the remaining flowers from last night:

Bright Pink Cone Flower/Echinacea

Lady of Shallot Rose-David Austin

A section of my back garden.

Red and Pink Yarrow

Tahitian Sunset Rose bud

Tahitian Sunset Rose blooming,

My moon vine has started blooming and that is a joy for me.  I look every night to see what is opening and if there isn't any opening I am disappointed.  Last night one opened and it was beautiful as always.  There was one above it that was closed from the night before.  I decided that the closed one is beautiful too in its own way.  See below:

Closed moon vine flower.

I am looking forward to much cooler weather, mums, the encore azaleas blooming again and the leaves changing colors.  All season close and move to the next like clock work and I love every season for certain things but Fall is one of my very favorites.  

I am sad that I won't see some flowers in their beautiful glory until next year but it will be beautiful when their season comes!

Everyone have a lovely weekend and enjoy!

Sherri

Hopefully this Heat is heading out soon!

 Hi Everyone!  Are you all glad the heat is coming down a little!  I am so happy that we have gotten out of the high 90's and low 100's finally.  My put garden has been really suffer from the heat.  

I already decorated the house for Fall.  I am really pleased with the way it turned out.  Even Steve said last night how nice the pumpkins and Fall things look.  Here are a few photos:

The Fall Mantel and coffee table.

Fall Mantel

Front door Fall wreath

Yellow Glass Pumpkin from my little collection.

Green and bright orange glass pumpkin.

I have been enjoying my moon vine the last few weeks.  I really though it wasn't going to bloom, but it has bloomed 4 or 5 times.  Here is a photo from 2 nights ago-full bloom:

The hummingbirds are getting ready for their trip South.  But they have been so busy here.  I actually was able to get a photo of a female on the armillary out in the garden.  She seemed to be queen of the garden just resting there!

My orchids have really been doing really well in Steve's office.  

More Fall decorating photos, I couldn't get them to load near the others.

Common Room decorated

Front foyer cupboard decorated,

Dining area

Drop Leaf table all decorated for Fall.

Front Foyer decorated upclose.

Little table in front of the French Door out to the screened in porch decorated for Fall.

Mantel upclose

Little painted cupboard in Common Room all decorated for Fall.

I painted this acrylic pumpkin collection quite a few years ago.  I have this hanging in the kitchen.

Pumpkin Pine Cupboard in Living Room all ready for Fall.

Table in living room.

Well I hope you have enjoyed the tour!  Everyone have a lovely weekend!

Sherri

September 2nd and I am so ready for Fall!!

 Hi Everyone!  I don't know about y'all but I am ready for Fall!  The temps here are still hot, humid and downright uncomfortable.  So much so I don't hardly want to leave the house!  My garden is started to see signs of summer is over and Fall is right behind.  My roses were on a break, but this one David Austin's Lady of Shallot just keeps on blooming!

I have been taking care of my orchids in the house lately.  Changing the orchid bark in the pots and I guess with the added light from this house and the new bark, they are reblooming!  I gave Steve 2 that have rebloomed for his credenza in his work office.  I am so happy with the results.  Just think these were orchids from when I worked at Harris Teeter and they were going to throw them out!!

I also have one of the pink ones blooming in my kitchen and a little white with pink center one in my bedroom.  I really don't do much to them except water them once a week.  

I am getting ready to decorate for Fall in the house also.  I'm over summer and ready to do this now!  I think I'm going to make another hydrangea wreath for my step daughter for Christmas.  I have a few tubs on Fall items to put out, I'm sure Steve is going to love that LOL!!  He was such a minimalist when I moved in.  He loves what I do to the house for every season!

Well everyone stay cool and pray these temps drop somewhat soon!

Sherri

Life is Fragile.

 Well this past week and a half proves how fragile life really is.  Steve's nephew, Tony passed away a little over a week ago.  The visitation was Friday night and the funeral was Saturday.  On Sunday morning we got a phone call that Carolyn, Tony's Mom had a stroke.  She is at a hospital in Pinehurst, NC.  Her artery in her neck is 80% block and she can't use her right leg.  The Drs. are encouraged that she is doing better than when they brought her in.  Edgar, Steve's brother is lost without her being home.   Everyone is now worried about him also.  Life takes many twists and turns and is very fragile.  It makes me very, very thankful for what I have got now and how we must take care of ourselves even in stressful times.  

Please keep our family in your prayers.  Thank you!

Sherri

August is Half Over Already!

 Well the month of August is half way over already!  Where does the time go.  I hate to say this but I am so ready for Fall and cooler temps.  It has been so hot here lately.  The heat index around 105-107 and the humidity has been about 98%.  I like when it is around 68-70 degrees.  Oh well that is summer in the South!

Well I did something I have been dreaming about ever since I saw we had a snowball hydrangea bush in the yard, I made a hydrangea wreath!  Some of the hydrangeas have been turning greenish and pinkish from the original creamy white color.  Here is the results:

This is part of the bush the wreath hydrangeas came from.

I was excited to see that my moon vine was getting ready to bloom.  I have had 2 buds open so far.  This is a tradition I always did with my Nana.  She would plant the Moon Vine seeds in a pot, let it grow and when it was going to bloom she would call me on the phone to run down and watch it open with her.  You see the moon vine blossom starts shaking and unfurling very slowly.  You can watch the whole thing open if you have the time.  This all happens after dark.  

Moon Vine bud before it starts to open.

Moon Vine about 97% open.

The birds and butterflies have been very active this August.  I love to see the butterflies flitting around the flowers in my garden.  They especially love the phlox I planted.  I had also put a shallow butterfly/bee water dish out for them and the butterfly I have seen drinking from it quite frequently.  Here are some photos of the birds and butterfly:

Steve caught this photo of a male cardinal feeding one of his young ones on our planter.  He was actually feeding 2 young ones.  It was so adorable!

This is a Tahitian Sunset rose from my garden.

These gladiolus are from my garden and I just enjoyed them so much!  I love the color.  I hope the bulbs winter over and multiply, I would love to have alot more than 10 plants next year.

We had the shrubs trimmed in front of our house last week.  They were a bit overgrown and the crew who does our lawn came in and took care of everything so beautifully!

My orchids are blooming so much lately.  I have about 4 or 5 blooming now.  I really love this cute little one.  It is white with magenta inside the flower.  So pretty!

I have been noticing the sunsets have been so pinkish and bluish lately.  I guess because the time of year it is.  So beautiful the other night.

Sunset in our backyard.

I have also noticed a few of our maples trees changing already!  I love the coloring on this little maple we have in the front yard off to the side.

Lastly, Steve's nephew, Tony passed away in the middle of the night on Friday.  It was very sudden, he was 46 years old.  It was a shock to everyone that he had a heart attack.  He owned a gym and kept in great shape and ate so healthy.  We have the visitation on Friday night and the funeral on Saturday at a nearby church.  Tony's Mom is taking it very hard.  That was their only son and both Steve's brother and sister-in-law feel lost.  Please keep the family in your prayers.

Everyone have a happy rest of the week.

Sherri

Where did July go???

 Hi Everyone! I can't believe this is the second to last day of July!!  Where did July go???

We have had some really bad thunder, lightning and rain storms here.  They say we don't have a drought anymore which is wonderful!!  Last week the transformer box got hit by lightning the other night around midnight.  It caught on fire and I had to call 911!  Everything was under control in a matter of 1/2 hr. thank goodness!

The garden slowed down a little bit with so much rain but it is rebounding now.  Here are some photos from yesterday:

Hibiscus on the front porch

Mr. Lincoln Rose

Planter filled with white and purple petunias.  They were all eaten by the squirrels, but now they are back and blooming again!  I sprayed them with essential oils, oregano, peppermint and eucalytus and they don't eat them anymore!

Bluebird Rose of Sharon

Our snowball hydrangeas are doing really, really well.  I love making arrangements and bringing them in the house!

Hydrangeas, red and white cottage roses and red alstemeria.

Bumble loving the hydrangeas too!

Hydrangea arrangement in the living room.

I have quite a few orchids getting ready to bloom.  This one started blooming in our bedroom.  So pretty!

My birthday was last Thursday, July 23rd.  I had a wonderful day with Steve.  He took me to lunch at Five Points Public House in Albemarle, NC.  We really love that place!  Then on Sunday we met up with Steve's son, Scott, his fiancee, his daughter, Crystal and her husband, Kelly at Village Tavern in Winston-Salem.  Crystal and Kelly gave me a beautiful cutting board with our last name on it and Est. in 2026.  She also gave me homemade pickles.  The cukes were from her garden.  They are so good.  I hope she makes me more!!!  They are such good kids.  Tyler, his youngest son  had to work so they weren't there.

Steve and I at Five Point Public House 7.23.26

From left front to right front:
Anna (Scott's fiancee), Steve, Me, Crystal, Kelly (Crystal's husband) and Scott at Village Tavern.

Homemade pickles from Crystal

Cutting board from Crystal and Kelly

I have been seeing so many bumble bees in the garden this year.  Either they are gather pollen or they are asleep on the sunflowers.  This one decided it really liked my basil!!  Love to watch them!

Well that is about all I have for today!  It has been nice chatting with all of you!

Sherri