Monday, November 6, 2017

Fall blooms

Good morning folks ~ It is Monday, a new week, one of getting used to the time change, and one for working inside and out.

The ground is still soggy here from the heavy deluge of rain we got from Philippe. Below is a picture of the driveway the next day. There was standing water in different parts of the property. We sure have a lot of green don’t we?

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After Philippe moved northeastward, a cold front moved in and the next morning this is how my scullery window looked. It was 58 and real feel was 54. Right now at 11:51 p.m. EST it is 83 and feels like it is 90. The cool weather didn’t last long.

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Last week I was out of my ‘comfort zone’ a bit as I was on a little adventure of checking on and visiting my bro & sis-in-laws two felines, Zoe and Peppy (who I call Pepperoni), while they had a lovely week with friends in Cancun, Mexico. BIL & SIL live about 25 miles north of me. I do NOT drive I-95 or the turnpike, just way too fast for me and stresses me out. That route would take me 30 minutes less, my slower route takes about an hour each way.  Worth it to me for the stress level, zipping along at 65-70 mph is just too fast for me. I’ll post pics from my times spent there in another post. I went there Tues. Thurs. and Sat.

Being there did make me appreciate my little Plum Cottage, and I was refreshed and inspired by my time spent there. BIL-SIL are living here until they find another home to buy. They sold the home they had lived in for many years, this past spring and moved into this rental, to be closer to BIL’s job. It is lovely and peaceful, a quiet gated community on the water, just off the intra-coastal waterway. Nice to enjoy the water views and the clouds in the sky passing by. I was inspired to work on my place by their lovely home and the way she has decorated.

This morning I started working on the bedroom, moving things out, making plans for some rearranging. I’ll need my BIL’s help in moving things, then we/he can start work on repairing living room west wall and I’ll be able to paint and then we can move in the two matching bookcases and the tv stand piece (from them) that will go in between bookcases. A couple of days ago I started feeling excited for no reason, and this morning starting to do this work made me feel even more excited.

Ok, now for some fall blooms here at Plum Cottage tropical gardens. Enjoy. They give me much pleasure in their colors and scents.

Philippine Violet blooms along with yellow firecracker flowers and a lone Wine Cup rose.

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Philippine violet flower with a Skipper butterfly sipping nectar.

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This is a lilac tree, grown from seed. The flowers have a delicate sweet scent.

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Hibiscus Tree bloom ~ This is the trees that grow along my driveway and hang over from the neighbors. These are fast growers, a real pain. DH used to keep these cut back on our side. The flowers start out yellow and turn a salmony color as they age and fall off.

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Mexican petunia and below that are morning glories.

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Pink Muhly grass

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Plumbago

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Port St. John vine

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Confederate Rose (I think) and visiting ants.

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Wild petunia of sorts.

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Cape Coral Honeysuckle, I also have this in a bright orange.

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Wooly Jasmine

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Barnhouse rose

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Coral knockout

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Kathleen

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Maman Cochet

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Mozart

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Not sure which rose this is.

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This might be Mozart again or else a little rose called Picnic.

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Prosperity

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Winecup

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Evening sunlight hitting the pine trees.

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St. Francis, a wonderful old cement statue we got at a flea market for $10 many, many years ago. I love it’s old patina. He’s about 3 feet tall.

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Miss Tork minding her p’s & q’s, then looking at me to see what I’m doing.

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That’s it. I hope you are all finding beauty in each day and enjoying getting into the start of the holidays.

FlowerLady

30 comments:

Stacey said...

Lorraine, you still have so many pretty flowers! We are still toasty warm but the flowers have gone. It's still beautiful though. Your kitty is so cute!

Debbie Harris said...

Your place is always a joy to visit, and oh my, those blooms are all so gorgeous. Should my yard have such beauty,I would never get anything done inside the home. :-)
I love the out of doors with every season, so I tend to be out rather than in.
Tork is awesome!

Enjoy the remainder of your day, sweet lady~

Thistle Cove Farm said...

Hi Rainey - I dislike driving on interstate but do when I have to. Today I went to Chesterfield County and on the way saw the remains of a terrible, horrible wreck. A 23 year old woman was killed...it was simply horrible and I passed hours and hours after the wreck. Usually, I get in the right lane and go slower than the traffic...letting them flow around me in their hurry to get elsewhere. Be safe Rainey, be safe.

NanaDiana said...

What beautiful images, Lorraine!! You take lovely garden shots. It was nice of you to watch the kitties for your family. I like it when I come home from visiting someone inspired to make changes in my own home.

I am glad you have an alternate route to take when you need to go somewhere. Blessings- xo Diana

Ruth Hiebert said...

Surrounded by all those beautiful flowers must give so much joy.

Cheryl said...

I think it's wonderful that you're excited about freshening up your home! Those kinds of projects enthuse me too. Small changes can make a big difference in how our homes function.

Eek. I can also relate to your reluctance to drive the interstate. 65 to 70 mph is way too fast for me too. I would definitely take the slower route!

Miss Tork is darling!

GretchenJoanna said...

You have been busy! I also had it happen today that I got some energy to work around my house - it was a nice change ;-)

I'm amazed at your flowers - my favorite are the pictures of the butterfly having a drink!!

Karen @ Beatrice Euphemie said...

So nice that you are close enough to your brother and sis-in-law to help each other out. I am with you on not driving the interstates. I will take the back-roads, thank you very much! Love your bottle collection in your window and all your gorgeous blossoms. Miss Tork has the right idea - a good, cozy nap! Hope you get some cooler weather for your week. Hugs and blessings xo Karen

Janneke said...

Lorraine your tropical flowers are really stunning and I love your roses, when I see all this beauty I think we must be grateful to have an eye for all what nature offers us. I love it. Can imagine your excitement about changes in your interior to make it as comfortable and cozy as you like.
Enjoy your week together with Miss Tork.
Regards, Janneke

gld said...

First I want to tell you your photographic skills are amazing. Next of course, I enjoy seeing the contrast between our growing zones. We have had a few killing frosts and are in the brown and leaf coloring phase of the season.

Great minds are thinking alike .....I began yesterday reorganizing my kitchen cabinets....started again this morning. I hope to get it all done before Thanksgiving.

Betty said...

I love your beautiful flowers. We are finally having fall temps here in WV and it is cold and rainy. I need to get out and get out of my comfort zone. I think we all do at one time.

Anne Payne said...

Tropical paradise! I love your scullery window!!! I'm thinking about having the old windows in my kitchen removed and something like yours put in. I really miss not having space to put plants on the windowsill.

Deb @ Frugal Little Bungalow said...

I smiled, thinking that the mailman or mail lady must enjoy visiting your mailbox every day ! :)

Darcie said...

I'm sure your BIL and SIL were so grateful for your help. I agree with you...take the long route if it saves on your nerves. I've been driving in a lot of traffic ever since I started my job a year and a half ago, and it wears on you!

Thank you for sharing your lovely pictures of your flowers...I always so look forward to them at this time of year. We start getting gray around where I live, and your blog brings back color to my world.

outlawgardener said...

Your warm weather and beautiful blooms lift my spirits. It's good to hear that you're excited about rearranging!

M.K. said...

I LOVE the close-up photos you post of your flowers. It is like looking into each bloom's face. The jasmine is exquisite! I'm amazed that you keep so, so many names in your head!
I agree about driving those insane speeds on the interstate, nearly missed by huge trucks, etc. I hate it.

Peace to you in your gardens and home. Give Miss Took a stroke from me :)

Rebecca said...

I'm catching your excitement way up HERE!
Thankful for every burst of enthusiasm that comes your way and mine! I believe it is God's Spirit pumping encouragement and inspiration into our lives...adding seasoning and spice to our existence.
I wish I could see those beautiful flowers in person. We have some lovely scenes/colors up here, but not nearly the variety that you have.

Unknown said...

I love to see your lovely flowers. Glad you are feeling excited about redecorating a little and changing things about. I think I'm inspired to try a few roses after looking at how well yours are doing! Blessings!

Kit said...

Hello my friend! I too get excited when I anticipate a new project. I just finished getting my home ready for Thanksgiving and I love all the browns, and oranges. Today I will go out and pick up all the fixins for our dinner and I will be all set. You have a lovely weekend! Hope it gets cooler for you. We have snow! :) Love, KK

suziqu's thread works said...

Going away from home for a while always gives us the time and space to think about the changes we would like to make in our homes and how we can do it. You have returned with fresh eyes and fresh ideas.
What a great time away.
I love your garden photos so much and especially that statue of St. Francis! All so beautiful!
x Suzy

Art and Sand said...

Look at your lovely blooms!

I love the shot with the mailbox and that wagon wheel in the background. I have a bicycle wheel in the garage and now you have me wondering how I will use it for Christmas.

Terry said...

Hi Lorraine,

I'm with you! My daughter and son-in-law live 20 minutes from my home via the freeway. I won't take the freeway, instead I drive the beautiful back roads which takes me about 40 minutes. Worth it to me to stay off the freeway.

Love,
Terry

A Joyful Cottage said...

This is a lovely post, Lorraine. The photo of your scullery window brought a smile to my face. It looks so charming and homey. Doing the dishes there must bring a smile to your face, too. I can only imagine how sweet smelling your garden must be, and oh, the colors of your roses! Just incredible. I understand the desire to stay off the freeway. Ugh. Have a beautiful day in your pretty home and gardens. Hugs.

Deb J. in Utah said...

I have missed the lovely pictures of your flowers. So exciting that you are doing some "fix up" on your home. Glad to hear that things are going well. Love from UT!

daisy g said...

I don't drive highway either. Who needs the stress? So it takes a bit longer to get where you're going-you usually end up with a more scenic drive.

Your garden is beautiful. So many blues and purples. Enjoy!

Cathy @ My 1929 Charmer said...

I can't believe how many flowers you still have...none here for a while. Been a cold and rainy November. Lately, I try to stay off the interstates even if it takes longer but less stressful. Beautiful photos of your flowers.

Karen said...

Rainey, I'm always late, I'm sorry. I love your flowers and sweet Miss Tork. She makes me happy and I can almost hear her purring from here. I do not like the freeway either, but Carl doesn't mind it. I'd like to simply shut my eyes and hide while we're hurtling along with all the lane changers and speeding. My doctor is 50 miles from us and the fastest way is the freeway, sadly. It is so nice to see beautiful flowers on your posts, mine are all gone for now. I'm in a bit of a depressed mood at the moment, too much going on, but I'll soon snap out of it. Thank you for being there for me, my dear friend.

Pom Pom said...

Hi Lorraine! Thank you for coming by my blog and leaving such a sweet comment!
I put your blog on my blog roll so I won't miss your posts.
I don't like to drive fast on the highways either. Sometimes I force myself to if I have to pick my husband up at the airport, but I prefer to putt around on the side streets.

Leslie Kimel said...

What gorgeous flowers! I love your Philippine violet and matching mailbox. So pretty!

L. D. said...

Love the cats. Your living in a greenhouse so to speak that has given you so many beautiful flowers. Insects are hanging around too.