Tuesday, December 3, 2019

Pictures galore and cold came to Plum Cottage


Brrrr, it's cold outside. At 6:04 EST this morning it was 46 and the real feel temp was 41. It has warmed up a couple of degrees in the past half hour. High today expected to be 69. Inside Plum Cottage it is a comfortable 70 without any heat on. I do have on warm, fuzzy socks and a long warm nightgown. 

I may do some Christmas decorating today. Yesterday I was sweating as it was very warm and humid. It was windy yesterday and as the day progressed, you could feel the temp dropping. This morning the wind has calmed and it is now getting lighter out.

Thought I'd share some floral eye candy with you all. but first let me get another cup of 'French Market Coffee & Chicory'. This is delicious and chicory has health benefits as well.  I don't drink this every morning, but felt like having it today. I've yet to find a real favorite coffee. I don't like Maxwell House or Folger's too blah for me. I recently bought Chase and Sanborn, recommended by a friend. It's not bad, but I could stand a little stronger coffee. I can't afford to just go out and buy/try coffees, I look for good deals to try new ones. ;-) ☕

Before I share, I need to get into my art program to edit photos. Be back later. 

It is now several hours later and I may have to share photos in two different posts. It is 12:57 p.m. EST and the temp has reached 62 and real feel is 64.

I think this is a knockout rose bud. 



  Tahitian gardenia ~ sure wish you could smell this huge bloom.



This is a lovely old cast metal urn.




Old wagon wheel.



 This is 'Sophie's Garden' a mandala pattern I found online.




I started the second row of light pink, getting all the way around and then started the next row and didn't have the amount of stitches needed. I recounted a couple of times, re-read the directions again and again, and found my mistake, so have had to rip out stitches, and haven't picked it up since. This was just before Thanksgiving. This row has to be right in order to turn the round piece into a square. I will keep you posted.



As I was putting cooked, crumbled Italian sausage onto pizza the other day, I saw this heart shape.



It was soon covered in cheese and black olives. I cut up each quarter into fourths, eating one quarter at a sitting and freezing the rest. Nice to pull this out of the freezer when I don't feel like cooking.



 This is a ground cover that some consider a weed and eradicate it from their yards. Some let them grow and they look like a light purple carpet. I just mow over them and they keep spreading, which is fine with me.



The next few pics are of a shrub called 'Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow'.








This photo below was taken on a chilly morning a week or so back. This morning I could not see out that window at all.



I love plumbago.





Next is a 'wild petunia' which grows like crazy, very tenacious.



 What a treat this lone gardenia bloom has been.





 I picked it and brought inside. The first photo under a more golden light from a lamp.



This one is under a daylight LED crafting light.


This is a tiny 'grey leaf' shrub bloom.




 This is one of my favorite simple roses, International Herald Tribune, with a really sweet rose scent.







Here is 'Tropical Goldenrod', and the bees love it.





 More 'International Herald Tribune'.





 I loved the shimmer of the morning dew on this knockout rose. When I edited these photos I was pleasantly surprised to see the heart in the center of this rose.




Here is that wild petunia with a bee visitor.



   'Hugs -n-kisses' beautiful hibiscus blooms, no two blooms are a like.







 Another hibiscus.



I'll close with sleeping Miss Tork.  (I just heard a noise on the little screened porch off kitchen, which is my main entry, and what do I see, a black snake. So, I went out the back door, around to the porch door and opened it a bit hoping he will find his way out. I sure wouldn't want him slithering inside here. He's harmless, but he would certainly cause havoc with me and Miss Tork and for himself.)

I crocheted this 'sampler stitch' afghan for us many years ago.  (Have also made it several times and given them away.)
Still have the one window covered with plywood from the hurricane in Sept. ;-) That's the reason for the reflections and the heart shape in the right window in picture. The covered windows should be uncovered soon.



Ok, now that I've overloaded you with all of this, hope it wasn't too much. 

Enjoy your Christmas holiday season. Stop in the middle of all of the hustle and bustle to think about the true meaning of Christmas. See the beauty in God's creation all around, no matter where you are. Thank Him for coming as a babe,  God in the flesh, who would grow up and give His life for the sins of the whole world, so that we may have life eternal with Him, because of His great love for us.

FlowerLady

   
      

22 comments:

crafty cat corner said...

All of the flowers are just so beautiful but my favourite is the close up of 'International Herald Tribune' simple but gorgeous.
Pleased to see the progress of the crochet. Mine is coming along but quite intense and I am doing a bit at a time. will show soon.
Briony
x

susie @ persimmon moon cottage said...

I always enjoy your beautiful flower photographs. The rose with the dew on it was gorgeous, glowing, velvet.

Your kitty looks so cozy on the beautiful crocheted quilt. The snake coming into your house would be a creepy thing. Maybe he was looking for a warm place since it had turned off so cool where you are.

How beautiful it is to look out of your window, with all of the wonderful glassware making it look as pretty as a rainbow.

Stay cozy.

Susie D.

Unknown said...

Such a lovely cozy post, Lorraine! Oh I love the scent of gardenias!! Hope you stay warm there in your sweet plum cottage, and that afghan and cute kitty would certainly help! xo

Ann said...

All of your flowers are beautiful. What a joy to have all of those around you.
I love the crocheted mandala. It's very pretty. That pizza sure looks good and putting some in the freezer for another day is a great idea

Art and Sand said...

Your floral shots are beautiful. I had surgery on my leg 2 weeks ago and can't work in the garden.

I have a bicycle wheel in my garden. I will have to photograph it once I clean up the garden,.

Ruth Hiebert said...

I LOVE all the flowers. I always enjoy them but even more at this time of year, as nothing is blooming outside.

ellen b. said...

Beautiful flowers to enjoy from your garden. What a wonderful time of year to reflect and focus on the Glory of our God and Savior!

Terra said...

I like your gardenia and the different colors of your hibiscus, and the misty view out of your window showing your displays in front of it. Yes, God gave us the greatest gift possible, his only Son.

Deb J. in Utah said...

Hello and thank you for sharing all your beauty with us! Your flowers are amazing. I love them! You are also a talented crocheter. Beautiful patterns. Enjoy this week. Stay warm!

Nancy J said...

A truly gorgeous garden full of flowers, perfume and colour. My pick for today, no guesses, Miss Tork on your lovely crochet spread. beautiful. Our younger daughter's birthday today, she flew home yesterday after staying with us for 12 days, a huge help in stripping wallpaper and spoiling me with dinner every night. Hugs to youXXX

Anne Payne said...

All your flowers are gorgeous! Even the Goldenrod, which makes me sneeze something fierce. :)
Have a blessed Christmas season, Rainey! ((hugs))

Carol- Beads and Birds said...

Your flowers are still lovely!! Here in Northern Indiana all is brown and dead..but kept for the birds to munch on during the winter. Lovely crochet. Crochet is my second love..maybe equal...to sewing.
Merry Christmas.
xx, Carol

Cheryl said...

I am always amazed at all of the beauty and variety of things in your garden! Your pseudonym --FlowerLady-- was well chosen. :)

Miss Tork is darling, sleeping on your bed and your lovely crocheted afghan. I certainly hope that black snake slithered back outside! ~shudder~

You have summed up the meaning of Christmas there in your last paragraph: not just a baby, but God come to redeem!!

Junkchiccottage said...

Oh Lorraine your garden flowers are gorgeous. Those white roses are so beautiful. I bet it just makes you smile to walk in the garden to take these pictures. I love your crocheting. That is really an art. Just beautiful.
Hugs,
Kris

Lynn and Precious said...

your crochet work is beautiful. I love to crochet too, but that mandala pattern looks a bit complicated. My husband drinks Cafe Bustello from Walmart, it comes in a vacuum pack for freshness is has better flavor than the canned coffees. About $3 for 10 ounces. The flowers are an upflift to me
as the Ohio weather is just dark as can be for days now. thank you for showing
so many of the colorful flowers. Miss Tork looks warm today.

Vee said...

Goodness that is cold, especially for your corner. Glad that you ended on a cozy note with the kitty napping on the bed. Lots of beautiful flowers still; they are long gone here. I think a purple lawn would be beautiful. The crocheting you are doing is so fine, a truly beautiful pattern. Hope that snake is long gone!

Sandra said...

The flowers are so beautiful. Thanks for sharing them with us. Your crochet is amazing...just love the afghan along with the kitty sleeping on it.

BeachGypsy said...

Oh Lorraine I love this post!!---so much "pretty" to enjoy!! I loved the pretty gardenia the most and the picture of your window with all the pretty trinkets in it. I love windowsills full of interesting and/or unusual things! Love the kitty on the soft bed too, so sweet. Hope your week is going well and you get all the decorating done that you want.

Dewena said...

Lorraine, I love your hugs and kisses hibiscus! And that cast iron urn is absolutely fabulous! What's the story behind that, have you had it a long time? Gardenias have such sentimental memories for me, memories of my dear father buying me one in a corsage every Easter while I was growing up. The scent always makes me think of him, even the thought of the scent.

In His great love for us,

Dewena

Rebecca said...

I came late to read this, but actually, just in time! What beautiful photos and such variety! The beauty you create with your "hooks" is reflective of our Father's creation....

Praying simple but profound joy and peace for you this Advent season.❤️🌲🎶

Henny Penny said...

Lorraine, this is a beautiful post...your pictures and your words. One would never know that it was wintertime there. Beautiful flowers, and a snake, of all things! Plum Cottage always looks so warm and cozy. Miss Tork sure looks sweet. Bet she is a lot of company to you.

Melanie said...

Beautiful flowers and crochet work. Temps in the 40's seem quite chilly for Florida.

I admit, I am a coffee snob! I can't stand Folgers, Maxwell House, etc. Do you have a Trader Joe's near you? I buy their organic Breakfast Blend beans and grind them fresh every morning. There are a couple of restaurants in my area that serve Intelligentsia coffee, which is my absolute favorite, but it's very pricey, so I only enjoy it once in a blue moon if I go out to breakfast.