...
it was an early january day when i noticed a pink castle peeking over our garden fence. i wondered who the princess was, and if she was happy in her abode amongst giants. the looks of it made me smile.
have you received our christmas card in the mail yet? if not, here’s a digital version for you to enjoy:
can you smell it in the air...?
yes, this is the third and latest addition to our annual holiday yard art series. last year’s fragrance was spice (…and everything nice!), the year before that royal pine. not satisfied with mere yard decorations, we wanted to make more of a statement this time to acknowledge the year of record-breaking drought in texas.
the plants outside are dying
and my dear, we’re still xeriscaping…
but as long as you love me so,
let it rain!
let it rain!
let it rain!
while it is a catchy tune, i’m not sure if our rendition of “let it snow” will do anything to improve what the drought monitor indicates. however, i’m happy to report that as soon as our friends in the b/cs started receiving their cards in the mail today, it started to rain! haha! it’s working…!
now, if only we could figure out how to make them truly scratch-n-sniff…
pine. rain. spice
it’s beginning to smell a lot like christmas… texas style. merry christmas y’all.
i’ve missed the last few bloom days… but i’m not going to miss this one, even if most of what’s growing on in the garden is greenery right now. speaking of greenery, i haven’t updated you on the holiday greens lately. here’s how the harvest wreath has changed into a holiday wreath, minus the holly that is:
october's wreath - oh yea, this was the one i gave to the sorghum breeder, a bit different from the one shown at our front door, below
late november's wreath with grasses, vines and burrs
december's wreath with fir boughs added
and then pomegranates and ball moss were added
and then pine cones and a ribbon were added
see why i picked a blue-green ribbon? because the kitties like it!
and just today i added purple beauty berries
see what fun you can have with bits and pieces of garden gatherings? i’ll probably keep adding to the wreath, as i’ve seen a couple of birds and anoles taking bits and pieces of it away… and that must explain why the kitties are being so good, staying on the porch…
happy bloom day everyone.
pardon the break in holiday greens coverage (what was i thinking… a daily post? moi? we’ll see how long this lasts…), today’s images are from the second annual brazos valley pulletpalooza in bryan/college station. six chicken coops graciously opened their gates for touring, chicken fancying and coop construction contemplation. since two of the sites were on last year’s tour, we started with the ones we hadn’t yet seen. since we got a bit of a late start we were only able to visit three, but we know where the others are when we get to the point of wanting chicks of our own…
first up, jeremiah’s chickens on leonard road:
eggs for sale
a cluck of hens and a mild-mannered rooster
reused book shelves make nice nesting boxes
second up, stephanie and her daughter joy’s chichens at bait barn fisheries on highway 21:
former horse stables turned into a comfy but secure chicken coop
on guard
nesting boxes
proud joy's ameraucana egg
third stop, lamar’s chickens on silver maple lane:
a large chicken enclosure, constructed from reused materials by the big event volunteers
a sturdy construction of recycled pallets & brick, bird netting and chicken wire - whatever it takes to keep marauding critters out
a chick settles in to roost for the evening
we wish we could’ve made it to all the coops today, but daylight was waning and time ran out. thanks to everyone who participated. next time we’ll plan ahead and bring our empty egg cartons to share. a meager token from chicken owner wannabes.
we currently have a bit of grain sorghum growing in our front yard and i was admiring its rustic orange hue earlier this evening.
sorghum sentinel
since i used quite a bit of it (from another local field) earlier in the fall for a harvest wreath, i thought it could count towards my holiday greens posts. here’s what it looked like before i hung it by the front door in october:
october's wreath
i’ve since added other field & woodland gatherings to the wreath (from other friendly sources) including grape vine, native grasses and cotton burrs (thankfully, not from a $10 imported stem from anthropologie). i have plans to add green tree trimmings to the wreath once i find a place who will give them away for free. it will then feel even more wintery and welcoming. in the meantime, here’s a close up evening view:
november's gatherings patiently awaiting december's additions
no use in starting over with holiday decorations. by simple addition you can transition your fall elements into winter, enjoying them that much longer.
today’s holiday greens post is an image of an arrangement i made the other day while my family was here for thanksgiving. as you can see, all items are from the garden and have held up pretty good considering it’s still 70 degrees outside.
pretty
i love the cool, soft color combo of sage green, silver and lilac. the trimmings include Rosa ‘Marie Pavie’ (rose), Salvia x fruiticosa ‘Newe Ya’ar’ (silver leaf sage), Vitex trifolia f. purpurea ‘Fascination’ (Arabian lilac – the pretty purple leaves) and Callicarpa mexicana (mexican beautyberry). here’s the full arrangement on the garden altar:
full view
also included in the jar are Dolichos lablab (purple hyacinth bean) and Eupatorium havanense (white mist flower or boneset). to make this even more in keeping with colors traditionally considered for the holidays, i’d add a branch or two of my red-fruiting possumhaw, Ilex decidua.
enjoy.
i’ve fallen off the blog bandwagon for a while… so, in an attempt to hop back on the sleigh, i’m proposing a daily, single photo post, of holiday greens that catch my eye on that particular day. why holiday greens? i love this time of year, especially for home & garden decorating. i hope to find some unique twists to what is traditionally considered for holiday green decor – be it actual materials, color combos, flavor inspirations, or whatever strikes my fancy that day. feel free to comment and let me know if we’re on the same wavelength.
first up, swiss chard:
red and green, and pink and white. on one hand, this photo makes me think of peppermints. on the other, reminds me of the subtle-tasting vitamin addition my sister added to her recent holiday energy smoothie. drink it up friends. december is here.
The cooler fall temps have allowed the vegetables to start producing again. Here’s a small sampling of this morning’s harvest, just before it started to rain a bit.
harvest
the monarchs have returned, bringing slow fluttering movement to the fall garden. it’s a joy to see several of them breakfasting in the morning, just as the sun warms plant nectar to what i imagine is near ambrosia, and again in the evening, when soft light filters through their fiery wings. i’ve taken the monarch’s migration through our area as a welcome sign of autumn, and delight in the visual harvest they offer for all to see.
heading down to houston for the quilt festival. see you on the return.
are you wearing purple today? i am.
a garden mosaic in support of finding a cure for alzheimer's disease
you may not be aware of it, but september is world alzheimer’s action month. today, september 21st, is alzheimer’s action day. advocates across the globe are doing their part to spread the word about the disease that has no cure (yet). i’m not one for facts and figures… having a family member diagnosed with early-onset alzheimer’s is all the proof i need to know and realize the a/effects it has on daily life.
thanks to the advocacy of the alzheimer’s association, in january 2011, President Obama signed the national alzheimer’s project act (NAPA) into law.
educate yourself about this disease. do what you can to support research and advocacy efforts. reach out to those with the diagnosis as well as to those who are caring for their loved ones.
life is precious, full of meaning and memory. i love you dad.
papa grwhryrpltd & i with the cessna 180
