My Everything Corner

It is warm here. Unseasonably warm, and I am loving it.  We had a major frost, that has killed everything - it looks like winter without the snow and it feels a bit surreal, but I can't complain about a warm breeze this late in the season. The snow can stay away for as long as it wants. Although that carpet of dazzling white is beautiful, it makes life more difficult, and who needs that?   I have been spending my time getting my yard winter-ready and decorating for Halloween. Harvest will be done today barring any major disasters with the machinery. Things will slow down, and I am feeling so very grateful. It has been a good year. These Pumpkin Peppers or Pumpkin-On-A-Stick were fun to grow and even more fun to decorate with. But be warned, the thorns on their stems and leaves are very mean.  Yes Sooty, the jack o' lantern print is why I crowded your favourite chair with a cushion., and yes, I am aware that the black cat and pumpkin thing has been done....

I was out for a stroll this morning looking for signs of Spring.  You wouldn't notice them at a glance. You have to get up close and even dig a little to unearth the details that promise that change of season. This first photo almost looks like something you would see on a coral reef, but it is how the sem false spirea shows signs of life early.  It is definitely the early bird of the shrubs. Although I have seen a few ladybugs here and there, we actually dug this little guy out of his fallen leaf bed. He happily provided us with a portrait before he asked us to tuck him back in, which we gladly did of course. If you put a penny over top of the larger one, and a dime on the small one, they would both be completely hidden!  They are 2 tiny, adorable weeds growing on the west side of our shop among the gravel and moss.  When you look up close, it looks like I put together a little succulent garden.  If I'm correct, and I'll keep a close eye o...