zucchini

Signs of Early Autumn

| terriaw

I love Autumn! Who doesn’t? We’ve had some gorgeous sunny days with cooler evenings, so I can feel Autumn in the air. I’m not looking forward to winter, even though I love snowy days and skiing, but I have been looking for signs that Autumn is here.

Last weekend we bought some mums, and so far only the red ones are starting to bloom. I love mums because they are the flower for November (my birthday month).

I came across two recipes that scream autumn that I can’t wait to try – squash and potato torte and zucchini pie. That means a trip to the farmers market, where I’m sure there will be more signs of Autumn.

Our garden is exploding with tomatoes-

We went for a hike on Saturday and enjoyed a cool sunny day on the trails.

Not too many leaves were changing colors, but we did find these burning Sumac leaves-

and these wildflowers, which I think are called Yarrow-

and these Rudbekia sunflowers.

I love looking down the trail, trying to find color changes as the season progresses.

So far the trail still looks very green, but it’s bordered by a grove of Aspens on the right, which means it will show signs of Autumn soon with those notorious golden yellow leaves.

What signs of Autumn are you seeing?

Getting Ready

| terriaw

We are having a family reunion this weekend for everyone to see my sister and her family before they move to China for three years for a job promotion. So we decided to get the yard ready for guests. Here’s what we have going so far:

We couldn’t find any annuals left at the garden center, so we picked up this pre-planted container to brighten up the front porch.

We planted two new trees in the back. They are hydrangea trees – aren’t they cute?!

Our basil plant is growing like crazy, so I have to make pesto before the party. My sister loves homemade pesto, and I doubt she’s had time to make any this summer.

We found this HUGE zucchini in the vegetable garden already! Can you see it in there? If not, here’s a shot of it before I shredded it for zucchini carrot bread. YUM! (notice the jalapeno peppers we have already too)

The best colors going on in our yard now are these:

I hope they continue to bloom through next week’s party. Now I have to make a shopping list and make some calls for the potluck treats. Hope you are enjoy this last week of July!