Roses, Acorns & Falling Leaves

There is a bit of a strange phenomenon taking place in my yard right now. I have leaves and acorns falling, but roses still blooming.

I had the flagstone beyond the deck and pavilion filled in with decomposed granite on Friday. I'm wondering what took me so long. As I've tripped and fallen on those rocks for months.

I suppose it was the fact that I wanted to do it myself. And I finally came to the conclusion that I can't do it all out there. Though I'd love to.

They took this giant pot (with the drain hole in the side) and put it on the west side of my house. I could never have lifted it or dug the hole in this root-entrenched dirt.

Above is the west side of my house. So many times I've wished my garden home wasn't on the corner. I have someone come in to mow it. It's all I can do to take care of the east side.

This is the bank across the street I speak of. I'm standing in my driveway taking this photo. On the other side of the bank is probably the busiest highway in this town.

Below is the side of the house where I spend all my time.

There is an elderly woman living in the house you see to the left. However, there are no windows on her side. So it is extremely private.

Above you see me taking a pic from the back of my yard.

And then, the photo below is just to the other side of the pavilion going toward the front.

About twenty-five feet from the spot I'm standing taking the pic above, is the view of my front gate looking out onto the cul-de-sac.

I have to say that this is my favorite of all the yards where I've lived. Because this is just so cozy with the way it's laid out. We rented this house when we first came to town. Then bought it three years later. It is actually perfect.

The pondless waterfall is simply heavenly. It is teeming with wildlife. Dragonflies and butterflies and all sorts of critters and creatures enjoy the running water.

I am very pleased with the results. It's taken me three years to get to this point. First was to have the dining room brick walls taken out and replaced with two walls of French doors. I could finally see my gardens.

Then came the wraparound deck and pavilion. And lastly, the flagstone, stone gardens, and pondless waterfall.

So I may live one block from a six-lane street that sees thousands of cars per day. But I have my own little slice of paradise that I feel extremely blessed to get to enjoy each day.

I don't feel the need to go on vacations. Mine is right here outside my door.

Still Enjoying Outside Color

While many of you speak of hard frosts and snow, I still have color and greenery in my yard.

That's Charlie Ross sitting in one of my pots of pansies watching a lizard on the brick wall. Yes, he squashed them and I had to cut them back.

This ginger sure is pretty right now.

The neighborhood leaves are peaking in fall color.

Yes indeed, it's a beautiful day in the neighborhood.

A Mid-October Seasonal Sunday

The leaves are turning, colors fading. Time to bring out harvest hues.

I'm linking up to The Tablescaper's Seasonal Sundays.

Jars waiting to be filled with goodies from the kitchen. Preparing for the holidays.

Plants to be brought in. Sheltered for the winter months. The garden to be tucked in snugly.

Daisies making a comeback in the cooler months of fall.

And of course, mums a-blooming.

No matter the season, this scenario never changes. Charlie Ross keeping a close vigil on the lizards.

Have a wonderful fall Sunday.

Pond Transformation

Monday my pond turned into this pondless waterfall. Low maintenance. Easy to take care of. 

Sunday I spent chiseling mortared stone and tearing the walls down. I'm not a spring chicken, so I didn't get it as far down as I'd wanted to. But FNC Ponds came in Monday and finished that part for me. And created what you see above. 

Here is what it looked like before:

A word of advice: Let a carpenter do what he does best. But don't have him build a pond. I had a wonderful guy do some phenomenal things to my house. He built my pavilion and fence. But he was out of his element with the pond. It just never had the natural look I yearned for.

So I found these guys, FNC Ponds of Tyler, to transform it. And what a job they did!

They were a bit surprised when, after lifting some of the flagstone up, they happened upon a giant frog living underneath my pond. They said it was about a foot tall. I wish they'd yelled at me to come see it. I assume now it's hiding in my yard, burrowed underneath another moist spot.

In five hours time, I had exactly what I wanted. A natural-appearing woodland area with planting space.

By the end of the following day, yesterday, it looked like this after I'd planted some things.

I love the roaring sound of the water. I eat my meals out here.

I may be missing from reading your blogs for a few more days. I'm banged up from falling twice over stuff while out there working. I've laid some of the path with the heavy flagstone left over. I may need a few days to recover in my recliner. 

Seasonal Sundays

I'm joining up for Seasonal Sundays at The Tablescaper.

It's time for fall flowers. Sitting prettily amidst the fallen brown leaves.

Mums are starting to slowly unfold their tight little fists.