Don't Forget The Baskets!

Fall decor can look just as lovely in a traditional fashion as a not so traditional look.

 I like to give a little twist to my pumpkins, gourds and mums on the back porch by adding a couple of colorful baskts.

 Baskets from our local veggie market (Ikenberrys) come in enough colors to boggle your mind when it comes to making a choice of just one or two.

 I'd love having half a dozen or so, but the prices of these baskets limited me, only because I didn't want them to cut into my decorating budget too deeply.

 I've already used them for transporting baked goods and a bottle of wine to the neighbors' grilled ham dinner a couple of weeks ago, and we have another dinner to attend next week where these gorgeous creations will see a usefulness once again.

 I love their misshapen look, but here's the thing. if you want that 'perfect look' in a basket, all you have to do is dampen them and bend them to the shape that suits you better.

 Put some pretty fall Indian corn it it!

 Set your bright potted yellow mums in it!

 Baskets ALWAYS have multiple uses, so spend the money and get some super nice ones that will last a long time.

 And if you are wondering where all of my pretty seasonal pillows are that I usually have on the porch, well, it's sort of a damp day, ready to rain any minute, so they are stacked inside the door on the table.  LOL  They will be coming back to their home on the porch as soon as the sun shines.  We eat at the kitchen island, so their temporary place on the table is not an issue.

Happy fall, ya'll.  Now go get creative with your baskets!

And......Five Months Later.....

 Summertime is beginning to close it's doors and autumn is peeking in the windows.

I can't begin to express how happy this makes me, considering that #1, I don't enjoy heat, humidity, bugs and the sheer discomfort of it all.

Some will beg to differ with me, those who live for summer, but we all have different souls with different loves, and autumn just happens to be MY love.

 Our pups enjoy the lushness of the lawn and rolling down the hill that we refer to as our 'backyard', but after only five minutes of enjoyment they are panting and ready to head back inside.... especially THIS particular summer which has had extreme temperatures for weeks and also months on end. Enough is enough Global Warming!

Mankind, or Manevil rather, has caused much of this and it's an issue that I highly doubt will be solved.  It's just sad.

 As happens every year, August and now the past couple of days in September brings foggy early mornings and spider webs. Makes for some nice camera shots, but OH those spider webs that string from tree to bush, bush to house, and across sidewalks at face height!  LOL  You should see us swat at them as they surprise us walking down our own sidewalk.

 Our garden did a great job of growing tomatoes, bell peppers and jalapenos once the early summer lettuce was done.  One or two years ago we had tomatoes up through Thanksgiving.... the plants that just kept on giving I guess you could say,

but this year that's not happening.... no rain other than just a few sprinkles here and there which is really not enough to sustain the garden, or the lawn for that matter.  We took what we could get because each year is different when you garden.  Ask any gardener and they will agree.

 And so, not enough time was spent on the deck and porch, other than the evening dinner grilling.  Autumn always pushes us to spend more quality time out there, and most days no one needs to twist my arm to get me to have my morning coffee there.

 July saw us with eleven inches of rain!

Less in August, and halfway through September and the lawn is crunchy, brown and dry with only 8 tenths of an inch so far.

These photos of the crepe myrtle were taken in August, and the intense heat for weeks on end caused a not so beautiful bush this year.  It gave it it's best shot, but it certainly was not as pretty as most years.

So, in summary, summer has had us dragging our feets and heads a little bit closer to the ground.  Just ask Izzy and Rowdy!

We had a lot of old and broken items piling up around the place, mostly in the basement, so we rented a large rollaway dumpster and filled it up.  We feel a bit lighter having some of the 'junk' gone.

 Here's the last tomato on the vine which my husband picked yesterday.

TADA!

Game over, Garden!  See ya next year!!

We always have a lot of wildlife in the yard, but this year there seems to be a lot more deer than in years past.  They poop everywhere and eat everything.... except for the garden which is fenced, and the hosta, which we planted basil around and also used a deer spray, so they left those alone.

 It's not like I can't see you!!!

Stop pretending you are invisible and SHOO!

So, now that temperatures are beginning to drop in the evenings, we have taken back ownership of our screened porch and even taken a few naps as the sun goes down.

I paid a shopping visit to Marshalls, where the pillows and throws as well as other autumn decorations were in abundance.

I had purchased two fall pillows last year and added to my collection.

Ikenberys, about five miles from home, had tables filled with orange pumpkins, of which I need to go back and buy a few for the front porch,

 but for the back porch I chose three heirloom pumpkins, for which they charge you a bazillion dollars as well as an arm and a leg and your first born child.

JEEZ!

Are these things that rare that they need to charge the price of gold for them?

I dug Mr. Scarecrow out of the basement closet.

See him?  Just his feet I guess.

Oh, THERE YOU ARE, you silly scarecrow.

I adopted him way back in our years between 2000-2004 when we lived in Maryland.

He's gone everywhere we have moved and is still in great physical condition.

I think I'll keep him around forever.

 Here's a bigger view of the porch.  Lots of black and white gingham and buffalo check happening here this year.  A casual fall look that reflects our lifestyle.

So, a few more days of temperatures in the 80's and summer will be history, as we fall into fall and once again take big breaths of cooler air before the really cold air of winter arrives.

Thanks to any of you who are still here and still read blogs.

I'm on Instagram as well under the name dianehakey.

Stop by and pay me a visit!

Love ya!

As It Fades

The autumn 'look' of November is fading, and with a combination of the rains of the past week and the freezing temperatures which will fall over us for three nights in a row beginning tonight, you can bet that the leaves on these trees of orange and gold will soon be gone for another year.  

Yes, it's the beginning of the 'bleakness' that we live in while Mother Nature rests throughout the winter months and slowly prepares herself for the soft green colors of springtime.  This bleakness shall pass... we just need to remember to keep more lights turned on around the house to remind us at noon that it is daytime.  LOL  Gray skies can sure leave you wondering what time of day it is, and sunsets come far too soon.  Time to give Izzy her daily melatonin since without it she loses her hair in a zigzag pattern come springtime. Poor girl.... or maybe she is trying to make a fashion statement ?

Here is a video showing what could be the last of our autumn colors as cold temperatures set in.

Now where did I put that heavy quilt for the bed?

My Movie 1 from Diane Cayton-Hakey on Vimeo.

Free BOOs At Our Place

 On a somewhat cloudy day my husband decided to Halloween-up the front porch.

It's something he did when he was a dad to small children, but once they were gone from home he stopped the tradition of outdoor decorating.

 Since retiring from the corporate rat race a few years ago, he has now shown an interest in taking the time to fun things up around here.  I love Halloween and the scariness and fun factor of it all.  The pumpkins and flowers of autumn along with ghosts, goblins, skeletons, zombies, jack-o-lanterns, witches, costumes and big BOOS totally make me laugh out loud.

 See!

It scares me!!

But I love it.

 

 So, here is our little contribution to making it a fun Halloween in the neighborhood for those who can find our house (since it's hidden away from the road)  although it could use a few more orange lights instead of just those on the big spider.

 I even found a jack o lantern flag for our flag pole, requested by my husband.

 Even though the outdoor temps have been above average for this time of year, we are enjoying the fact that summer is gone.

 We have mostly pine and cedar trees on our property, but what few leaf losing trees we do have, they are beginning to drop their colors on the driveway.

 Yesterday morning a total spooky flavor showed itself as a fog set over the entire area.

Even at 8 in the morning the driveway lights were still on.

 This photo is late afternoon Saturday.... the lights were on.

 And here at 8 AM Sunday the lights were once again glowing.

 Come drive past our house in the evenings if you want a spooky time.

Don't mind the 'no tresspassing' sign.

We won't have you arrested unless it's past Halloween.

BOO!!