FALL DEALS AT THE NURSERY

I love clearance.  I also love Clarence from It's a Wonderful Life.

But, right now I love the plants I bought at the end of the season sale.

 

 

A White Frost Berchleaf Spirea.  Everything I love wrapped up in one plant.

White flowers, birch shaped leaves, nicely shaped shrub.  I wish I had a nice shape, but I don't.  I did, but it's long gone.

I am nice, if that counts.  Sometimes. 

 

Just look at the price!  Deal, deal, ding dong deal.

They only had one.

 

 

I looked over about 15 flowering crabapple trees in the $30 range.

Then, I spotted this planted in the row with maple trees.

It was $9.99.  Deal, deal, hot diggity deal.

 

Plus, it comes with berries.

And, I adopted a container of hens and chicks.

Sorry, I already planted them.  They were cheap, cheap, cheap.

 

Most landscape businesses close this weekend, so hurry!

POTTED POTATO

Tonight I was gathering up yard ornaments to store in the shed for winter.

I also pulled dead flowers out of some pots to dispose of in the compost pile.

Do you see what I see?

 

 

I am not kidding you.

 

I pulled the roots from this pot and in the loose soil I saw something round, with roots.

This pot had a sweet potato vine and some petunias in it all summer.

This is even stranger, it is not a sweet potato.  It looks more like a Kennebec potato.

 

 

Who is playing tricks on me?  Mother Nature?

I continue to be surprised by what goes on outside my back door.  I learn something new every day.

 

 

VISITING FAMILY

Sunday, we drove out of town to visit family.  Did we ever feel special when we walked into the kitchen and saw these beautiful dishes prepared for us. 

 

 

In addition, the house was decorated for Halloween with fall rugs, hand towels, ghosts, pumpkins, witches and more.  Each place setting had a little jar of candy, and the centerpiece was a huge bowl of freshly made popcorn balls.  It was so fun!  Our hostess went to great lengths to make us feel special. 

 

Hello kitty.  You are so beautiful.

 

Let me show you the beautiful courtyard and other features of their yard.

I want this.  Just look at this arbor covered with wisteria. 



This wisteria was trained to wind around the post.



It climbs to the top and covers the entire patio.  They do prune it to keep it shapely.

This iron trellis is very unique, and heavy!

Look at the birch trees scattered through the back yard. 

The path winding through the flower garden was paved with these interesting bricks.

 

 

Just a few of their watering can collection. 

 

 

I love wagons.

I love bicycles and bird baths.

I love picket fence.

 

You antique lovers will enjoy these jugs and barrel,

and this creamer,

and this hand cart.

 

We had so much fun telling stories and laughing.

I did not want to leave.  It was a perfect day with loved ones. 

 

 

CAMPFIRE COWBOY BEANS

 

Once a year we make Cowboy Beans.  We put on our cowboy hats and chaps and spurs ....

I'm kidding.  First, we fried a pound of bacon and let the bacon drain. 

 

Then we opened our favorite kinds of beans in 16 oz cans.

What is a cowboy's favorite bean?  Pinto! 

 

We used pinto, pork and beans, black eyed peas, and butter beans. 

Dump the beans and all the liquid into the iron dutch oven.

 

 

1/3 cup of pure maple syrup

 

                        The hamburger and onions are rowned.  Dump them into the beans.

 

 

 

 Add 3 tablespoons dry mustard,

 

1 tablespoon lemon juice,

 

1/3 cup brown sugar,

 

 

 Add 3 tablespoons ketchup,

 

 

salt and pepper to your liking.

 

We are cooking with gas! The steam is rolling, and it smells like maple bacon.

Let is simmer on the stove a few hours or set it directly on your campfire coals.

It will thicken as it cooks.

 

We have a bushel of apples that need to be used so let's make applesauce.

 

 

 

Cut up the golden delicious apples and bring to a boil.

Then let simmer until squishy.  The chickens will get the peelings.

 

I add a scoop of brown sugar and mash them with a fork. 

This is so easy.

 

 

Cornbread is a must for any cowboy dinner.

I ran out to the hen house and got a fresh egg.

This is Bev wrapped up in every warm garment we could find, including a blanket over her lap.
She is having a ball sipping hot coffee and watching the fire.

There's my cowboy.

Did cowboys have Starbucks?  No, just starlight nights.

 

Bev is such a trooper.  She enjoys doing things outside.

 

It was about dinner time.

I clicked my cowgirl boots together 3 times and dinner was ready.

 

 

 I don't care if my food touches, the more food the merrier.  Applesauce, cornbread, and cowboy beans.  Good grub.  Grubby good.

 

One more thing.  You will need this after all those beans and bacon, believe me.

 

 

Happy Trails.

 

 

 

 

MYRTLE AND FRED'S FALL DECORATIONS

 You know my friends, Myrtle and Fred. They have gone all out decorating their gardens for fall.
Can I show you a few of the cute things they have done?

 

  Not only is it cute during the day, it is lit by solar lights at night and glows until the sun comes up.

The wind blows hard at their place, and this ghost is holding on for dear life.

 

         Skulls and bones resting in peace.

 

 The frogs just ate an entire pumpkin.  Their bellies are exploding.

   Burp!

More wind around this corner.

 

Gargoyles.  Do gargoyles gargle?  Actually, they can do whatever they want, if they want to.

Just take in this beautiful, blue sky.

You old crow.

 Solar light.

Another solar light.

                        Not a solar light, but looks so cool with prairie grass blowing in the wind.
                                 The answer is blowing in the wind.              Kumbayah.....

Mumsie Wumsie

 

 

That isn't a Halloween decoration!

 

 

Whether you ride on two wheels or four, go for a spin and enjoy the fall colors.