These are from last week — right before Halloween, actually. There have been so few sunny days lately that I haven't been motivated to take photos or to work outdoors. This one sunny day we got a lot done, but nothing compared to what yet has to be done! With Thanksgiving closing in…
Above you see the detritus from the hacking of the bushes outside my one little kitchen window that faces my view. Here is the right half of that view (from even earlier in October):
You can see that rhododendron and holly in the foreground (I realize it's all just crazy foliage to you, but there is a lawn, a driveway, and a garden down there before the foliage starts up again) taking over and making it so's I can't see anything below. I could barely see the compost bin on the left of the photo.
So I started hacking, and then was assisted in cleanup by Bridget (aka “Last Man Standing,” as far as kid helpers go, since the others have absconded) (and by the way, did you know that abscond is a bee word? It's when they swarm and go off elsewhere to live. An apt word in this context.).
It was so sunny when it was sunny that this flower finally came into its own, after spending the summer looking green and shy.
I never got to harvest the hydrangea, alas. This week it doesn't look even this presentable, let me tell you.
So, really just babbling here, I thought you might like to see pictures of the side shed after the painting was all done.
Here's a before from a funny angle:
It's a sheltered place that can store firewood on its way into the other storage place in the garage, and also a place to pot things and putter.
Here's how it looked this spring when Phil made a nice potting table to replace the awful setup we had out there.
That's as neat as we could make it look for a picture. Since then it's not gotten neater, but it has been quite a happy place to work.
I'm sorry I have nothing earth-shattering to say. I'm just checking in and saying hi, you know?
Charming's Mam says
Hi, yourself. Lovely photos.
priest's wife says
We'll be waiting for outdoor photos of snow!
Love the shed- amazing- we are raising our 4 in a townhouse of 1200 sq ft- this looks like paradise
Sue says
Hi, Leila. Nice to have you around. Hope your Mum's feeling well.
Mary says
Oh my gosh. I've wondered this for awhile now, but I think I'm now almost sure my aunt lives RIGHT DOWN THE STREET from you! Is that bizarre or what?
Do you happen to have a marker on the end of your street that commemorates the attack of Indians on settlers going waaaaaay back? A certain hill nearby? And certain Benedictine-spiritually-minded folks nearby?
_Leila says
Well, yes!
Who is your aunt? You should email me!
Mama Bean says
Your daughter always reminds me of Emma Watson, who plays Hermione in the Harry Potter movies. She is a very beautiful girl, and you are welcome to let her know I said so, if you think it will brighten her day.
Deirdre says
SUUUUCH pretty pictures!
freckledhen says
My favorite kind of post! You have a pretty place and I am certain your youngest will have fond mother/daughter memories of time well spent. She is lucky to have you all to herself!
The weatherman said this morning it is our last mild day. Now the winds will blow until April. Which drives me crazy but at least it blows the leaves into the next county. Happy day thoughts to you….
Emily says
Hi Aunt Leila! I smile when your posts come in my reader, no matter what you have to say. 😉
margo says
I can't handle earth-shattering every day. I like me so good folksy photos to satisfy my voyeuristic bent. So thank you for all the interesting photos 🙂 My husband and I have plans and dreams for a little outside potting place- nice to see yours as inspiration. And so nice to see, as always, a real house with real work going on (not a magazine photo shoot).
Their mom says
I didn't need earth-shattering today, but maybe a touch of encouragement. But, that's probably just me, it's been a discouraging week.
TessaDiane says
I didn't need earth-shattering today, but maybe a touch of encouragement. But, that's probably just me, it's been a discouraging week.
Sue says
I love the view from your kitchen window! I can almost smell fall in the crisp, clean air.
Looking at that photo of the leaves on the ground kind of made me a little home sick. We have lovely ones here, too – just not those particular ones.
Becoming Jamie says
Oh, Fall… it is my favorite time of year. Still, it is so bittersweet because I know winter is coming. Even as I'm cleaning out the last remnants of the garden, I am already looking forward to spring… seed catalogs, tender seedlings, and my hands plunging back into the cool earth. Your pictures are beautiful!
Jill Farris says
“Aka last man standing”-too funny…and your emphasis on abscond and the bees swarming off-lo! I love the looks of your large house and big, happy yard but I am reminded that we once had a large log home on seven acres and the work never ever stopped. It was hard for me (at that time with many small ones) to look at everything and notice the beauty instead of the work.
Now that I am 50 and the “swarm” is “absconding” into many activities and schooling outside the home, I am enjoying my roomy home on a postage stamp of a yard:)…pros and cons to both, that's for sure!
I was glad to see that you had a lavender stalk poking its pretty head up in a picture. We have bunches of it planted along our driveway…it is such a happy, fragrant, useful plant!
Mom in MO says
Yes, how is your mother's recovery going? And, what is that pink flower (in the fifth picture)? We have those on the lightposts outside of our church and every week I think I will find someone who can tell me what they are. The blooms lasted so long this year. That's what I like about them.
_Leila says
She is doing well, thanks!
I can't remember the name of the flower. They sell them around mother's day…
Anyone?
Betsy M says
That plant is a mandavillia. In my experience they like sunlight but not intense heat for best blooms. They are also slightly poisonous so watch out with kids.
Oh, and your landscape is so beautiful Leila. What a joy it must be to use that cute potting area ( that yellow just looks like sunshine). Great inspiration for me to get mine organized and more welcoming!
Mom in MO says
Thank you!
Jennifer F. says
I have a an off topic question for you! How do you keep your house clean with a dog around? ( I noticed your dog in one of the pictures). We have 5 we are homeschooling this year and they are all clamoring for a dog. I'm not sure I can handle another creature to clean up after…. any words of wisdom for me? Feel free to use this as fodder for a post about pets someday :0) Jennifer F.
_Leila says
A dog is a tradeoff. They keep the floor clean from stray food, so that's a plus. (Although once I knew a fantastically laid-back shepherd mix who disdained to be bothered by a spoonful of tuna salad I dropped…this was at a friend's house…I couldn't believe that I had to clean it up myself! What is up with that. We're still training Roxie not to get food from the counters!)
They shed terribly, so that's a minus, but you could get a kind that doesn't shed, and that would be awesome.
And you have to wash their bedding and not let them on the furniture, or you start smelling like a dog and not realizing it 😉 Our dog does get on Bridget's bed but doesn't get on the sofas since we never let her.
It's a labor of love, what can I say. I was happy without a dog for a long time but a certain someone really needed one!
Katie says
Beautiful pictures! They made me so happy. 🙂
Joy says
There is something about ordinary living that makes me happy and, of course, since autumn is my favorite season, I like these photos especially.
50s Housewife says
I love these types of posts and love all your pictures! Thanks for sharing them with us.