Sunday, October 14, 2007

Bloom Day and Other Things

I was in a real quandary today, trying to think of what I had blooming on this October Bloom Day. Since it rained nearly all day, I could only use the pictures I'd taken Saturday and I really thought they weren't at all interesting. But, as I slowly went through them, I realized there is quite a bit blooming here. Of course, many of them I've posted before, but they still look lovely and they may not last much longer. So here is my Bloom Day and a few other things that made this weekend very worthwhile.

The back yard looks beautiful with the late afternoon sun shining through the trees.

Golden flowers of Big Bluestem grass.

Iceberg climbing roses and Victoria Salvia.

The Snapdragons just love this cooler, moist weather.

Double Begonias (I grew from seed) in my Down Under Pot. The seedlings are planted in the bottom of the pot and after settling in, the pot is hung upside down and the plants grow up. They look really pretty.

The three-tier planter is still lush with Coleus and Begonia and the Impatiens in the window boxes are going strong! The ones in the living room window boxes are now 31" tall ! !

No wonder the birdfeeders need to be filled so often! This little guy sticks his tongue in the openings and the seed falls on the ground. Then he eats it. I think that turkey is eyeing up the graceful bird statue.

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Indoors there were some fun things too. Saturday started out really well with the mailwoman dropping off my first real seed catalogue for next year.

Good old Thompson and Morgan! I don't buy much from them (they are really costly and are usually "sold out" of the new flashy items that get my attention) but they are the place to go for very odd and unique seeds. The little crow is my first Halloween decoration I've put up at home this year.

She also had this package. My order from Daedalus Books and Music.

This is a really neat company that has books and CDs marked way down. The selection isn't anything like Barnes and Nobel, but I manage to find all kinds of things I'm interested in. Here's an example of what I ordered today. Some are Christmas gifts, but most are just for my enjoyment:

1. Deluxe Origami 2. Something Rotten 3. Death and the Jubilee 4. Elephant Maximus 5. Inside Islam 6. The Meaning of Everything 7. War on Our Freedoms 8. We Know What You Want 9. Best of NewPort '57 10. Chick Corea Remembering Bud Powell 11. Dave Brubeck - My Romance 12. Lieder of Schumann and Brahms

The last four are music. I began reading Death and the Jubilee, a mystery that takes place in England in the 1890s, last night and am nearly done. We Know What You Want is a very interesting book on how the public is manipulated and influenced by all the facets of media and advertising. And we think we are making our own decisions most of the time . . .

As I sat and wrote a letter to my penfriend in England, I listened to the Best of NewPort '57. When people were trying to organize the jazz festival in 1955 in New Port, Rhode Island some of the society women were quite upset. To quote: One society woman said, "I don't mind the music too much, but the people are so vulgar." The musicians back then were very conservative and laid back by today's standards. Heck, most all of them wore a suit and tie and had short hair. How times have changed.

Last week I broke down and ordered some spring bulbs. I wasn't going to make more work for myself this Fall but I was taken in by the bright colors and promises of Spring beauty by the Van Engelen catalogue and website. But I tried to keep my purchases as unpalatable to rodents and deer as I could. I mainly sent for mini daffodils, allium, scilla, and chionodoxa which are rarely bothered by hungry creatures. As an experiment I'm getting Eremurus rootstock to see how it fares in my gardens. And for my cutting/vegetable garden, a mix of Orienpet lilies and about 10 Oriental lilies. I know, everything loves lilies, but I will have much more control over them and can even cage them in the cutting/vegetable garden. I'm a fool for lilies.

So, this is my Bloom Day. Next month at this time we'll all be posting pictures of our African Violets!

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How inappropriate to call this planet Earth when it is clearly Ocean.

Sir Arthur C. Clarke (1917- )

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Bye for now,

Alyssa

13 comments:

Tom said...

'Blooming great'
I found this to be a very interesting post, your pictures were very nice, but your words painted more of a picture for me.
Thanks for sharing a small part of your weekend.

Pam said...

I loved this post, Alyssa, lovely and interesting. I'm impressed by your blooms and your visitors. And your packages! Good reading, excellent music.

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

I am glad you liked the Dee Dee Bridgewater rendition of La Belle Vie on my blog. Previously I had Ne Me Quitte Pas on.

You flowers are lovely. I am surprised the deer don't eat many of them. Over the last 15 years deer have been returning to our area. They used to say they did not like sharing territory with moose. So far they are not in overwelming numbers as they are in some areas near here.

Love the wild turkey. I saw some in North Carolina a couple of years ago. They were reintroduced in Ontario successfully are are abundant south of here. They may spread into our area.

DeeMom said...

WOW Alyssa your yard is lovely
Turkeys are fun to watch
Those deer are eating might high on the hog…

Lovely post most enjoyable

Mary said...

For a moment, I was wondering why you had a live, pet crow.

I don't think you would ever run out of things to show, Allysa. Your first photo of the light streaming into the yard is wonderful. My dream garden...

I think those deer know you have a soft heart for them and are enjoying your generosity :o)

Carol Michel said...

I love the picture of your backyard. It does look like a great place to sit and enjoy a quiet afternoon.

And I know what you mean about buying more bulbs this fall, as though any of us need more to do. But we can't resist, can we.

Thanks for posting for GBBD again.
Carol at May Dreams Gardens

Alyssa said...

Old Wom - You are very welcome. It's always so nice to hear that people are enjoying what I write.

Pam - Thank you for the compliments. I just love getting a box full of music or books. The rest of the day is on hold after that.

Tossing - Since we have so much growing in the yard, the deer damage isn't too noticable. I try to grow the things I really love very close to the house. The turkeys are so much fun to watch, and sometimes they leave behind beautiful feathers.

Dee - Thank you. We enjoy the deer very much. Someone is always glancing out the windows to see if they've come in. A friend of ours gave us dropped apples and they are going crazy.

Mary - I just hope those feathers aren't from something endangered! I was wondering the other day where they came from. Maybe it's better not to think about it too much. This time of the year the yard is especially lovely - it's the soft light. It makes everything glow.

Carol - Yes, if I sit quietly the birds are flying all around me. It is very neat. All my bulbs came today - now it's crunch time!!

Mr. McGregor's Daughter said...

Your backyard looks so peaceful & enclosed. Lovely photo. Those deer are bigger pigs than I thought!

Alyssa said...

Mr Mcgregors Daughter - Thank you so much. You are right, the deer are pigs, just a more graceful species.

kate said...

I love the Salvia blooming as if it was June. The deer are pretty smart to have figured out how to get seeds from the feeders. Your garden looks beautiful with the afternoon sun... I'd love to sit for a spell and enjoy the view.

I got that same Thompson & Morgan catalogue last week in the mail. I rarely ever order, except for seeds of flowers that I can't get elsewhere. That's where I get my supply of dianthus superbus.

It is so exciting when a parcel arrives filled with new books and music. I love that!

Alyssa said...

Kate - Thank you. Salvia is so hardy here that it is generally the last thing blooming. I do love it and try to have some every year. In mild years, I've had it overwinter too.

Yes, those deer are very smart when it comes to finding food. They can smell the fresh apples and corn as soon as we toss it out and are here in no time! They are so lovely to watch.

Tossing Pebbles in the Stream said...

You asked about the robes of the Supreme Court of Canada. They usually wear black robes but they have the ceremonial robes of scarlett with whlte mink trim which you saw. You might find this information on the court interesting http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Supreme_Court_of_Canada

Tom said...

Hi Alyssa,
I have just been reading your comment that you have left me today, I'm up out of bed because I can't sleep.. 04-15 here in the UK.
You mentioned Google Earth..
Try Harrop Edge. or Matley Lane,
The quarry I was at was the smaller of the two. Theres a road that runs to the side of it that leads to an higher point where a farm is.
Hope your week end is going well.. Thank you for your comments and taking the time to do them.
Tom