Are you stocked up with candy? Get many trick r treaters? We don't get a lot here, but we've got candy on hand.
I got my leaves raked Saturday. This is what I had Monday, sigh:
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Christmas in October
My walking buddy brought my Christmas gift early so I could get some use out of it. Aren't those bowls purrfect? The HH was quite impressed that one bowl came with chocolate:)
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A little fall color
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In California
Nevada
AND last but not least
Colorado
So what's going on with you, blogger buds? Got leaves? Snow? Tricker R Treaters?
Here's my big excitement and no it's not a new mode of transportation. Hehe. Though, it looks like Frank is thinking about trying it out;)
Some of you gardeners might recognize it. I admit I wouldn't have before I purchased it. It's a garden broom.
Do any of the rest of you have to deal with leaves in your rocks when fall hits? It's right up there, or maybe I should say down there, with weeding. How in the heck do you get them out? The only other option I'm aware of is blowing and a) I don't like hauling a blower around, b) Blowers tend to scatter the rocks.
This is a picture of before and we haven't even had a good fall yet. You can wade through them once they really get falling.
This was after sweeping.
And this is me:
😄
Yup, the hits don't stop at our house. What wild and crazy things are you up to?
Ever heard of Bass Reeves? He was a little known Western hero that I'm posting about at Cowboy Kisses. If you're in the vicinity and would like to know more, please stop by and say hey.
The HH is having back surgery in December. So this weekend we took the first step towards laying in supplies. We went into the foothills and got a case of wine. 😂
Here's a few, and I emphasize few, pics from the winery.
There's a rosebush planted at the beginning of each row of grapes.
This is a chandelier in the center of the gift/wine shop. It was quite pretty.
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The leaves are starting to turn.
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A bumble bee in the garden.
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Last year I got cherry tomatoes from the mulch pile. This year taters;)
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The HH got me the most excellent gift. A wearable heating pad for neck, shoulders and back. I feel like a viking warrior in it:)
Some of you may have read ARRANGING A DREAM. Some of you may remember it. Either way it definitely rates a repeat. Writer, friend and honorary cousin wrote her memoirs and I found them fascinating. If you haven't read them yet, I believe you will too. Why Arranging a Dream? She spent a good deal of her life as a florist arranging flowers and she's going to give us some inside floral tips today.
ARRANGING A DREAM: A FEEL-GOOD MEMOIR BY
J.Q.ROSE
BACK OF THE BOOK:
In
1975, budding entrepreneurs Ted and Janet purchase a floral shop and
greenhouses where they plan to grow their dream. Leaving friends and family
behind in Illinois and losing the security of two paychecks, they transplant
themselves, their one-year-old daughter, and all their belongings to Fremont,
Michigan, where they know no one.
Will
the retiring business owners nurture Ted and Janet as they struggle to develop
a blooming business, or will they desert the inexperienced young couple to
wither and die in their new environment?
Most
of all, can Ted and Janet grow together as they cultivate a loving marriage,
juggle parenting with work, and root a thriving business?
Follow this couple’s inspiring story,
filled withjoy, triumphs, obstacles and failures experienced
as they travel the turbulent path of turning dreams into reality.
Whether the story is fiction or non-fiction, J.Q. Rose is “focused
on story.” She offers readers chills, giggles and quirky characters woven
within the pages of her mystery novels.
J.Q. combined her work in freelancing articles and her storytelling
skills to pen her memoir, Arranging a Dream: A Memoir, the story
of the ups and downs she and her husband experienced in their first year of
establishing a floral business.
Blogging, photography, Pegs and Jokers board games and
travel are the things that keep her out of trouble. She and her husband spend
winters in Florida and summers up north with their two daughters, two
sons-in-law, four grandsons, one granddaughter, two grand dogs, four
grand cats, and one great-grand bearded dragon.
1. Remove the guard petals from roses so they'll open. They are the tough ones on the outside of the rose. If you purchase from a flower shop, the florist may have already done this for you. Cut the stem at an angle so the rose has more area to take up water and will not sit flat on the bottom of the vase. Be sure to add preservative to the warm water.
2. Do you like delicate baby's breath with your flowers? Don't be gentle with it. Fill a container with warm water. You may add a tiny bit of bleach to the water to whiten the flower. Yeah, really. Don't overdo it! Place the bunch in the container and bounce the stems up and down 3 or 4 times vigorously.!! Step back and watch the tiny buds open with that precious little flower.
3. Keep fresh flowers and plants away from breezy areas like an open window or door.
4 Pick pollen out of the lily blossoms. ( the yellow powdery stuff in the center of the flower). The bloom will last longer. Plus no yellow smudges on the petals.
"I don’t normally read memoirs but in this case I'm so glad I did. I loved it. It held my attention the entire way through. Being fascinated by the flower industry kept me turning pages." Sandra
How was your weekend? Did anyone attend the NC writing webinar? I went to two sessions. One was extremely well done. One could have been better. But since it was free, I can't complain. Fall is definitely in the air here. A sure sign: the mums are blooming.
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