Sunday, September 20, 2009

I caught a whiff of autumn.......

... in the air while walking up the road to fetch the newspaper the other day. I also spotted several maples beginning to turn red. I don't know whether to be sad that summer is coming to an end or rejoice in my favorite time of year!

We didn't have much summer this year and the garden had difficulty getting established, but we did eventually get some nice color in the perennial garden. On the other hand, the veggie garden was a bust this year, however, I did manage to get several meals of green beans and lots of peas.

I planted another batch of peas and am hoping to get some before any hard frost comes along.

The deck plantings did well, although it took lots of TLC to keep them looking good.

I managed to overwinter most of my geraniums, thereby saving lots of money!

The dahlias are looking pretty good!

My favorite pot was planted with burgundy leaved cannas, lime green Marguerite and a Sedona coleus.

The fountain corner was planted with lots of impatiens. I didn't think they would do well with the sun in that corner, but I was pleasantly surprised!


The Rudbeckia have reseeded all over the garden, but their sunny faces are always a welcome late summer sight.

That Joe Pye weed in the middle of the garden was not as tall as in previous years, so I think it may be time to divide it next spring. There's an awful lot of it - anyone want some?

We were busy last week with the annual Veteran's Club Lobster Feed. H and I are always on hand to help cook huge amounts of lobster, clams and mussels.


The "before" shot......

... and one of the after

Ah, but the final product is always the tastiest!

The lobster dinner was delicious, as always, but the really fun part was that I won the raffle for four more lobsters! I took them home, picked the meat off and froze it for another tasty dish. Hmmmm, Paella?, Lobster Rolls?, Cioppino? Boulliabase? Oh, stop me please!!!

Yesterday, H and I headed out to our friend's house and his firing range for a bit of target practice. I finally got to fire the 9mm we had acquired a bit back and to reacquaint myself with the Taurus .38. The guys were quite impressed with my marksmanship. Needless to say, none of the paper targets survived!

H is taking aim

Giddy and Clyde!

And so ends another exciting day in the life of a small, aging but fiercely protective gnome.

Life is Good

Hugs, Giddy

6 comments:

Kerri said...

Ah yes, autumn is in the air here too. Boo hoo. There are a lot of beautiful things about this season, but killing frosts takes all the joy out of it for me..and the fact that winter follows.
Your deck plants are gorgeous. Love that dahlia!
My containers take lots of TLC too. It's a labor of love :)
Your end of summer garden is looking very pretty. What a lovely spot you have, and you and H keep it looking beautiful.
Oh, would you look at that fabulous lobster! Are gnomes aloud to eat that well?
Ha! I guess if you're a pistol packing gnome you can do just about anything you like :)
R is very impressed to learn that his favorite gnome can also shoot a pistol.
You go girl! :)
Warning: Muggers...don't try stealing this lady's purse!

Kerri said...

That should be "allowed". :)

Diana LaMarre said...

Your fountain garden is so nice! I bet its gorgeous in early morning with the morning glories.

I do love that canna combination! :)

The lobster dinner looks delish. How lucky to win 4 more. I am sure you will make some culinary delight with them.

Anonymous said...

I think your garden looks great. Yes, it was a strange year, wasn't it? All that rain, and the vegetables didn't do well at all. My cucumbers came out the best, I guess.

Anonymous said...

Oh my, you have me lusting for lobsters now. Hard to come by in KY! You are also a gardening inspiration, as I'm looking around at piles of neglected and dejected rock gardens that I will need to spruce up next spring.

gnome said...

Garden gnomes are also considered the target of pranks and "kidnappings." A well-known garden gnome prank is called the traveling gnome, where a garden gnome is stolen from its owners' garden and taken on a cruise or to trips to various destinations. The hapless owners will be sent pictures of their beloved gnomes with famous landmarks on the background. Most of the time, they are mostly relocated to the forests where they can be "free." The Italian-based Garden Gnome Liberation Front is notorious for this.