Fall! Finally!

Even without extremely hot summers, I've always loved fall.  A little coolness in the air, leaves starting to turn, sweaters coming out--it's all marvelous, especially with the new house.  How could you not love this view?

Unless you were the one doing the mowing or raking, I suppose...........

Getting There.....

My hip/back issues aren't fully healed, but I've been back to work in outside sales for almost a year now--which is something we didn't think would be possible several years ago.  I get tired easily and I've had to work from home a few times because of the pain, but considering how bad it was, it's okay.  I can even garden,

and am a little obsessed with lilies right now.  Last weekend we found an itty-bitty snake in the yard,

 which I think is a garter snake.  Snakes eat voles, so I would have loved to have had one at the old house.  The new house is too close to the water table for voles (YAY!), but I'm pretty sure that I don't want whatever this guy eats, either.  And I can be totally cool with snakes when they 1) aren't in my house, 2) don't move too quickly, 3) don't rattle, and 4) aren't really anywhere near me.  I know--he's completely harmless, but he can move without feet.  I think it's okay to be freaked out by that just a bit........

Gardening

In spite of how much landscaping was already done at the new house, I have been adding plants like mad.  This bed did actually have zinnias in it when we bought the house,

but the orderly sort planted by a professional landscaper, in nice tidy rows with a color scheme.  My zinnias are more of the flower-riot sort, which is a bit more "me" anyway. 

The house came with some lilies,

 though I've added more.  They're good little bursts of color, though these were supposed to be black with yellow tips:

There is almost always something in bloom, but a house we pass while walking has hellebores, and I loved their early blooms and great foliage, so I've added a few.  Unfortunately, I'll have to wait several months to find out if I got the right colors or not, but

I love their leaves, so I'll be pretty forgiving if they aren't.

We share a pond with neighbors, so I'm adding iris to the water line,

though this little guy is again, not what I ordered, but is still pretty.  It's almost reassuring that the professionals can't even control what they end up with--though it does make me order from reputable places that give refunds when it happens.  

Ahem....

You know you've reached a whole new level of gardening when you receive a wholesale catalog.....