It's Monday morning and I am reflecting back on my weekend and I realized that I didn't get as much work done outside yesterday that I wanted to. We cleaned up almost all of the inpatients that were dead, but still have some in a protected area that are still nice. The flowers around my light post have been pulled and thrown away. The last of the dead flowers on my front porch bagged and tossed too. My oldest son got the ladder out and cleaned out some of the clogged gutters around the house. The maple tree in the front of the house has most of its leaves gone and that's because of a wind storm that we had on Saturday afternoon. Now you can really see what dead branches are left. I hope that my husband is going out today to cut them off with the chain saw. I have some ornamental grass that needs transplanting, but didn't get to that. Maybe tonight...

Driving back from lunch today, I really noticed the trees on both sides of the Interstate had changed. Brilliant reds, yellows and oranges dotted the hillsides. It has turned colder here in Southwestern Pennsylvania over the last few days. I would imagine that by next week if I traveled the same path that we took today, I would see nothing but bare trees.

This morning I got up early with the intentions of getting what house work that I didn't get done yesterday done early so that I could work outside. Yea right. The temperature was in the mid 40's and raining. So I made coffee, and took my new gardening book and relaxed on the couch. I want to try to get some ideas for next year. As you know many of us have grand intentions with plans and ideas, but yet somehow they don't all get put into place. Things like time and money get in the way. Yes TIME and MONEY. Sure I want a cascading waterfall and pond in my garden, but that takes alot of TIME and MONEY. I know that it all can't come at one time, so this fall I hope to go to my Aunt's farm and gather some of the stones and bring some of them home each time we go. I have to make a place in the yard to pile them and that means that I have to plan the time to do this. Yea right...

I'm sitting here at work listening to the rain on the roof of the trailer and watching the leaves fall from the trees outside my window. Traveling to and from work over the last week I have really noticed the changing of the leaves. This more than anything reminds me of the cold weather to come. I love the changing of the seasons, but wish that winter was still a couple of months off. This winter will be different though. While the cold and snow is happening, we are expecting the arrival of our first grandchildren this January. Yes twins. A boy and a girl. My oldest son and his girlfriend are expecting. Two new "sprouts" to nurture in the coming spring. Cant wait...

As I spent this weekend working outside pulling out dead flowers and transplanting flower bulbs, I realized that this time of year is one of my favorites. The trees in the backyard are turning orange, red and yellow colors and it makes me think of when I was a child and playing in the leaves that had fallen to the ground. Making piles then jumping into them and throwing them at each other was a favorite pastime. Anyway, since we had our first frost last week, some of my perenials have bit the dust. I have been moving some of my daylilies too. They are spreading and I have been trying to move some to other parts of the yard. We also have been putting away most of the garden furniture in the garage. The back patio looks so bare with out the canopy and the table and chairs. I have been thinking of expanding my flower garden off my back patio by extending it another few feet. Something to work on during the winter months...

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Garden Designs Made Easy and Fun!!

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