The view from the "football field"

I love this view of the arbor garden from the part of the lawn the gardener calls––for obvious reasons––"the football field."

Autumn roses

Oh, how I love it when the roses are still blooming in the fall. The Carefree Delights are . . . well, delightful, and there's even an old-fashioned yellow rose or two still in bloom.

A rainy September day

It's officially the second day of autumn, and we're having a rainy, windy day in Kansas. But I don't mind since I'm warm and cozy inside with candles burning, a fresh cup of coffee, a good book to read, and this view out my window.

First day of autumn!

I love the colors of autumn! This coleus is perfect with the squash from our daughters' Missouri garden. They're delicious to eat, but we have enough to spare a couple for decoration. Sundae seems to like them too!

Kidnapping? Catnapping? Catnipping?

Our front porch cat (the mama of all those kittens we've raised) has been missing for a month – after disappearing two or three times for a week to ten days at a time earlier this summer. Well, guess who moseyed up while we were having coffee on the porch this fine September morning? Yep! Biscuit! Looking fat and sassy.
I called some neighbors, and so far no one seems to know where she's been or who she's hanging out with, but she's obviously being well taken care of. We're happy to share her with the neighborhood – as long as she stops by to see us once a month or so.

Wild flowers

The garden is wild and wooly right now. Everything's a little overgrown, but I kind of like it that way. These Dahlberg Daisies and Wild Verbena are such a delightful mix. They just keep getting brighter and prettier.

Blue on blue

The Blue Mist Spirea is in full bloom and it is stunning – and possibly stinging, since it is literally buzzing with bees and moths and butterflies.

A "new" fountain

Our daughter-in-law's parents recently moved to a new home with a pool, and decided they didn't have room for the fountains they'd had at their previous home. They gave them to the kids, who chose one and passed this beauty along to us! We forgot how much we enjoyed having a fountain trickling in the background. Lovely, especially as we head into autumn. Thanks, Rick and Chris!

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Summer's End

The flowers are loving these cooler days we're enjoying on the last weekend in August.

A few late August scenes from the garden

As always, click on photo to enlarge.

Oh, to be a cat!

Why we live in Kansas!

The sunset August 13th looked like a Maxfield Parrish painting. Sunsets never last long enough, but oh, so gorgeous for those few brief moments!

Just peachy!

Middle of August and the Bonfire Dwarf Peach is loaded with fruit. It's ornamental, not intended for eating, and not as brightly colored as it's been in past years, but still very attractive.

Before and After

Just wanted to share a few "before and after" shots, from the day our Realtor showed us the house, until today, August 1. Five years later, what a difference.

BEFORE

AFTER

The hot tub didn't work and we didn't really care to have one anyway, so we gave it to some friends of ours and added the stairs leading to a flagstone patio.

BEFORE

AFTER

We planted an Autumn Blaze maple, left and replaced the ash tree that died with a Siberian Elm (Lacebark Elm), right. We also planted a Chanticleer Pear and Korean Sun Pear in the back yard (along with the evergreens along the fences) and several other large trees in the front yard. In a few years, we should have the leafy shade we want.