Today was the type of day that I think of when I think of Autumn. Crisp, cool and clear. Color everywhere contrasting with a sharp blue sky. I tend to block out the gloomy days in between that makes us not spend as much time in the yard because it is getting colder out there. I picked some flowers yesterday so we can enjoy them indoors or out on my front porch. They may be the last bouquets of the season. If I am lucky, I will squeak out a couple more before it frosts. 
It is hard to see it coming to an end, but fall is such a beautiful time of year. There is something to be said about snuggling inside watching a movie on a cold damp day, or a drive on a crisp autum day to see the colors in the hills of all the trees. And for whatever reason, cooking becomes a way to pass an afternoon so everyone can warm up with a bowl of chili or a bowl of soup. I have to say that although spring and summer are by far my most favorite time of year, fall has it’s good qualities as does winter, well winter for a little while. It’s those last days waiting for signs of spring to emerge that seem to take forever.
Can we conceive what humanity would be if it did not know the flowers? ~Maurice Maeterlinck
Green Thumb Sunday is here! Another chance to take pictures of my bloomers. Did I say that? Honestly no underwear will be photographed
today. Here are my flower bloom
s!
Yesterday (6/14) I spent a picture perfect day with 4 friends at MacKenzie-Childs.
It is located on a 65-acre former dairy farm overlooking Cayuga Lake in the heart of the Finger Lakes region. This was the weekend of their barn sale. People from all over flock there to get deals on pieces from the MacKenzie-Childs collection, which consists of handmade, hand-decorated majolica pottery, tile, furniture, and accesories. Along with their barns full of items, there is a beautiful farmhouse that is completely decorated with their artful furnishings. When you take the tour of the house you are dazzled by the décor and the 1870’s structure as well as the picture perfect view from each and every window. That is the reason I am blogging about it. The grounds were well kept and the gardens were lush and pleasant. They overflowed with so many different flowers I can’t name or describe them all. But I do have pictures and a picture is worth a thousand words so I will just let the pics do the talking.
After enjoying the scenery and the shopping we headed to a little restaurant named Pumkin Hill Bistro in Aurora. There we sat on the back porch of another old farmhouse and took in the nature filled scenery. A scrumptious lunch and some decadent deserts and we were on our way.
We stopped at Bet The Farm, which is a cozy store that sells foods and Finger Lakes wines. It was quaint and welcoming ~ fresh flowers filling the shop with the scent of peonies and roses. Nancy Tisch, the owner, welcomed us with a fun wine tasting, crackers with tasty spreads and talk of her garden. Of course I couldn’t help taking photos of the rose covered picket fence that surrounded her store. Again, I will let the pictures do the talking.
It was a wonderful day spent with good friends.
Friends are flowers in the garden of life. ~ proverb
The best fertilizer is the gardener’s shadow. ~Author Unknown
I have been using Bionic Gardening Classic Gloves since the beginning of spring. They are comfy and have sensitivity that rubber gloves just can’t give. My fingers don’t feel clumsy when I wear them and I can pick up even tiny things easily. Unlike other leather or cloth gloves, the seams have never caused blisters or even soreness. I have to say I am impressed with their suppleness and recovery after getting muddy or wet. They are a must have if your hands get tired and sore while gardening and there isn’t the sweating issue you get with many gardening gloves. The wrist closure supports your wrist and keeps the dirt out as well. The thing that really surprised me is that they are washable. I never would have thought that possible of leather gloves,
but it’s true. They came out of the washer looking a lot closer to new than when they went in, and they didn’t shrink. After a few bends of the hand, they were comfy again without stiffness and they looked good. They feel more like golf or batting gloves instead of gardening gloves. I definitely recommend them to any of you who like to get your hands dirty~without getting your hands dirty.
There are different colors too, check them out along with other styles of Bionic Garden Gloves at gardenshoesonline.com or just click on one of the pictures. 
Our England is a garden, and such gardens are not made
by singing: — “Oh, how beautiful!” and sitting in the shade. ~Rudyard Kipling
I have just solved a mystery. I had 3 plants grouped together that were here when we moved in. When they emerged in the spring time I thought they were weeds so I cut them down. Last year they grew back, again I cut them down. This year when they sprouted, I decided their determination deserved a chance so I put them in an inconspicuous spot to see how they grew and what kind of flower if any, they 
had. Yesterday I was weeding, and when I moved the large leaves to see under them, there was a really funky flower uncurling. It looks like a calla lily except it is black (maybe dark purple) with light yellowish green stripes that originate in the center and fan out. It almost resembles a cobra. I had to hold it open to show the inside because it wants to stay curled like in the picture. They grow from a tuber, the stalks are purple, the leaves are grouped in threes and the plant is about two fee
t tall although the stem for the flower is only about 4 inches long. It is not the most colorful flower, but it is unique, very unusual and beautiful in it’s own way. Well, after searching the Internet I was able to discover that it is an Arisaema Triphyllum, better known as Jack in the Pulpit. I had never seen this type of flower. As far as I can tell it is a triphyllum, there are many varieties but this seems to resemble that one the most. Though it prefers partial shade and shade, it can tolerate sun as well, so it fits anywhere. 
It gets a bright red group of berries at the end of summer. I think it is a very tropical looking plant. I now respect it’s strange beauty and perseverence. 
Who said you couldn’t teach old gardeners a new trick?
How strange that Nature does not knock,
and yet does not intrude! ~Emily Dickinson
Went to Frog pond on Saturday with a couple of my friends. It was great fun. As soon as we spent most of our cash we headed off to The Green Thumb. I wanted them to check it out since it was a new place I found to buy plants. They had some plants there that we hadn’t found at the Frog Pond. What I really learned that day is that my Jeep can hold alot more flowers than one might think. I also learned that I can’t get enough flowers to plant. What gardener can?
