My Christmas Cacti have bloomed!  They’re about five or six weeks early.  We have several of the fuchsia pink version, and the oldest one, which sits in the west window of the green room has bloomed.  One of my Mother’s cacti has also bloomed.  It has a hot reddish orange bloom that makes me think of firecrackers for some reason. *S*

The English Ivy in my bathroom is kaput!  I knew there was a problem, but when I went to pick it up to move what I thought were a few dead leaves, virtually all the leaves fell off.  Normally I give my plants greater attention than that. I’m sure I had sprayed this particular plant with Safer’s soap.  Either I over-sprayed it, or I used the wrong spray, or I over-watered.  I’m not sure what happened, but it was so severe a problem that the plant has been pitched.  You need to know that I almost never give up on a plant.  I have a basil plant that seriously needs to be cut back for the winter.  I’m going to have to make pesto this weekend, I think.

My Pothos is not a happy camper.  I’ve carried this plant through the years, and I wonder if it’s just time to let it go.  I keep finding leaves here and there that need to be plucked.  I think it’s root bound, and there’s hardly any soil.  I need to think about this.  The room might look better without the plant, and I probably don’t want to move it, when we sell the house.

It’s time to buy evergreen wreaths.  I usually put a wreath on the front and the back of the fireplace, but Dear Husband is allergic to cedar, and his chair is next to the fireplace.  I may try to create a Christmas wreath from silk or dried flowers to spare him the sniffles.  I’ll put a fresh wreath at the front door.

I may need to buy an African violet.  Mother always had them in her sitting room.  It seems like we should have at least one.  I’ll have to start looking for one.

I saw a heron yesterday. Dear Husband and I went to the Farmer’s Market at O-dark-thirty yesterday morning. I was surprised that DH was willing to get up so early, but he went with me to carry things. I wanted to see if I could pick up raw honey to use on my colds this winter, and I couldn’t leave without picking up some unusual pumpkins to add to my collection. DH encouraged me to pick up 4 green peppers for stuffed green peppers, and a head of cauliflower.
We were on our way home, and I saw a very large heron in one of the least welcoming retention ponds. He was wading next to a line of cat tails, intent on breakfast.
So, as of 10-27-12 there was still at least one heron in the area! I stand corrected.

I am filthy from head to toe! It’s just about noon on Thursday. I have a hair appointment at 3:00 and a major change in the weather is coming through this afternoon or evening. I wanted to be ahead of the cold and rain, and I succeeded, partially.
This is the time of year when those of us in the Midwest are putting their gardens to bed for the winter. I am fortunate to be able to have my favorite landscaping service give me a hand, but there are some things I want to do for myself. I purchased eight mums for color this year and distributed them through out the gardens, but I never dug them in. After they bloomed, I cut off the blooms and gathered them where they would get rain and would be easy to water. I’m not sure when I realized they were hardy mums, but I’m too frugal to throw plants away, so I planned where I wanted to plant them.
The alarm was set for 7:00 this morning, and I was up, but a book called to me and I frittered away about three hours. Dear Husband went off to do errands, and I hot footed it out to the garage. I collected all the potted geraniums that I want to winter over and moved them to the garage. I’ll spray them with Safer’s soap before I bring them into the office.
Then, I gathered up the wheelbarrow, the shovel, bags of tulips and crocus, the mums and a bag of composted dirt and headed for the east driveway garden. That garden has never been an easy garden. It’s dark clay and the plants really struggle. Never the less, that was where the mums and bulbs were going.
It took me at least fifteen minutes to dig a trench long enough for three mums and two pods of tulips and crocus. I got down on my hands and knees and clipped out roots and moved dirt out of the trench. Once I was satisfied that the hole was deep enough, and smooth, I set out the plants and bulbs, and then shoveled some of the composted dirt over them. I pulled the original dirt back into place and tamped it down, collected my tools and headed for the second site.
That side of the garden went much faster. I think I must have composted more in that section in the past. In no time at all I had things back in place and I moved the wheelbarrow into the garage, where it will sit temporarily.
It will be cold tomorrow. I plan to disperse the last of the composted soil, and some mulch on Friday, if the weather will allow. I’m really glad to have finished this project. I feel as though it was a good start on what needs to be done, and I’m really glad the mums weren’t wasted. Next spring we should see four lovely pods of frilly tulips and some giant crocus if the rodents cooperate.
It’s a good day!

This past weekend we made our annual trek to north central Indiana to be with my youngest sister and her family. My-Sister-The-Nurse drove us down through a rainstorm. By the time we got there, the rain had cleared off, and we had a great weekend.
This year we had other reasons for making the trip. Friday was my youngest niece’s 22nd birthday. That was a great reason to go. We love celebrating her birthday. But, this visit we also had the chance to see a piece of her furniture which was being shown in a gallery in Indianapolis. It’s always fun when an artist moves from school galleries to showing her work in a commercial gallery. It’s was big break time for her, and we got to be a part of it. With any luck, she might share a picture of one of the pieces so I can post it here.
After the gallery, we walked through the art center where Frankie throws pots and her husband works in wood. The only person missing was Frankie’s oldest daughter (who had to work), who writes and is a wiz with a camera! What an artistic family they are!
We visited some of the stores in the Broad Ripple section of Indy, and then moved on to a French place for dinner. My steak and frites were fabulous, but the soup with mussels, and the crepe my sisters had looked equally good. We were stuffed for the ride home. I was really glad I didn’t have to drive.
Sunday morning, the birthday girl cooked crepes for us. Frankie cooked a savory filling with spinach, onions and yellow peppers, to which I added olive tapenade, crumbled feta cheese and Parmesan. MMMMMMMMMMM…it was fabulous. I had fresh fruit and a slice of pumpkin bread with it. I was stuffed, and missed out on the fruit filled crepe, but I hear it was great. The food at Frankie’s is always wonderful *S*
It’s really tough to have to leave. I gathered hugs from just about everybody, including Mickey, the cat. I hate to go because we have such a good time there, and I get to see family, and enjoy the house, and eat, and share recipes, and do all sorts of wonderful things. It’s so tough to leave.
But, we piled into the car, and headed north with Dear Husband Driving. I always wish we could stay longer. Thank you, dear sister, for making us welcome!

Oh my…… Sunday night, after we came home from Indiana, we walked toward the kitchen, turning off lights, heading for bed. I smelled something a bit “off.” At first I thought something might have been left in the garbage can while we were away. Nope….not that.
I got closer to the kitchen sink, and thought we might need to run the disposal. You know how bad it can be if you leave broccoli or a cole crop in the disposal and don’t run it. Nope…not that. BUT, it WAS getting stronger.
Apparently, a skunk had been frightened, either just outside the window at the kitchen sink or the mud room, OR….it might have been scared, fallen into the escape window (in the basement) and decided to fumigate the house. Unfortunately, years ago we saw a skunk go into the drainage pipe that leads to the sump system, so we know a skunk could survive the fall. If a skunk let go in the pipe, we were going to be in real trouble. It’s hard to sell a house that smells like skunk. ;-(
I’m a chicken heart. I DID NOT want to be the one to figure it out. I eased away, saying to myself, “IT’S HIS JOB to figure this out!” I went off to bed, praying the skunk was on his way somewhere else. Dear Husband must have been thinking it was MY job. NOT!
At any rate, the skunk must have been outside on the lawn. By the time I got up on Monday it was apparent that the scent had not permeated the house, and we had lucked out. Either that, or my sense of smell has been killed. *G*
DH must be really happy that he doesn’t have to put the skunk ladder into the window well!