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Kaleidoscopes of Color in Autumn

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Kaleidoscopes of color are found almost anywhere at this time of the year.

As I embrace the beginning of a new season, the colors I observe are amazing. Reminding me of looking into a seasonal kaleidoscope that amazes and makes me pause. I bend to retrieve any leaf that makes the words “oh my…that is beautiful”, fall from my lips. Gently tucking them into my pocket, it is a way of capturing the moment. You see, tomorrow, the leaf color will change. The seasonal kaleidoscopes are all around us if we just open our eyes along the way.

The first kaleidoscope of colors that I tucked into my sweatshirt pocket. We always remember our firsts, right?

One early morning, as I visited Montpelier just after daybreak, the colors just popped. In amazement, certain trees stood out to fluff their leaves as if to say “notice me…make this part of your memory”.

Montpelier’s trees decided they were going to show off first thing in the morning.

The wine-colored leaves were lifted into their glory by the patient trees in the background. Whether too early to begin a colorful show or an evergreen, each tree will have their turn on nature’s stage.

The trees at Montpelier were in different stages of fall displays of seasonal bliss.

No matter where I am, the kaleidoscope of fall is never too far behind. As I look outside my dining room window, the colors of the redbud are golden trinkets, falling to enrich the soil below.

Golden leaves of the Cercus Canadensis gently release to add nutrients to the ground below.

A Yoshino Cherry tree gives me a reason to smile. It shines with golden leaves that drip, one by one, into the garden. Imagine a necklace has broken and each bauble dropping in slow motion. What a beautiful addition to my compost these leaves will become.

Kaleidoscopes can change with the twist of the wrist. I can look at this Yoshino in the morning and by evening, it has a totally different hue.

As I stroll in my garden, the Hydrangea quercifolia stops me in my tracks. The kaleidoscope on this shrub changes each day that adds excitement with each glance. Is it the wine in the leaves? Could it be the amber as it evolves like a flame throughout the shrub? I cannot answer honestly these questions. With each leaf I see, my mind changes moment by moment.

Hydrangea quercifolia can make me pause in amazement with it’s colorful display.

As I continue to collect moments to include in my kaleidoscopes of color, imagining how many combinations to include, simply bring me joy.

Do the kaleidoscopes of color found along the way add to your autumn experiences in nature? Do you collect leaves to capture the unique memories of autumnal bliss?

This week’s colorful capture from walks embracing nature.

Gathering moments along the way…

Teri, Cottage In The Court

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Spring Self Care for Gardeners

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Spring blooming trees add color to an otherwise bleak landscape…

Spring has sprung. When I walk Precious it is dark, but not as dark as last week. I could feel Spring embracing me. It was warmer, the air felt lighter, the birds were singing and the woodpecker chorus was in full swing. In the distance, the moon in it’s waxing crescent shined a bit of light along the way. I knew the presence of Spring was near.

One of my patio planter’s has new residents. A smattering of Rainbow chard, a small gathering of Longstanding Spinach, kohlrabi, and of course Heirloom carrots for good measure. Cool season vegetables planted in Spring paves the way for experimenting with different summer vegetables. Trying new things is always a treat. For most gardeners, Spring is the busiest time of the year!!

Viola’s welcome Spring as they try to outshine each other. It’s not important to outshine, it is important to be the best you can be. Self-satisfaction is key.

In the midst of our seasonal madness, we sometimes forget Self Care. Here are a few tips for Springtime Self Care:

  • Stretch daily. After nesting most of the winter, our limbs might not be as pliable as they once were. Especially as we age, stretching can aid in breathing better and delaying the need for ointments and creams to ease sore muscles.
  • Hydrate often. As we walk through our landscapes, forest bathe or visit public gardens we can be distracted and ignore the need for food and drink. All the pretty flowers, garden trinkets and beautiful new containers that we “NEED”…not so fast. We need to stay hydrated now, so the habit of carrying fresh water throughout the season is second nature. Taking a break to just sit outside, have a snack and absorb some Vitamin D is like feeding your soul.
  • Shop sensibly. I am so guilty of needing everything that catches my eye. I also just purged my house after renovations. If there is no plan, think about it first. Use your phone, take a photo, go home, and consider the possibilities BEFORE you buy.
  • Reuse-Recycle-Reduce. Before throwing away a pot with a chip, can you ant something that will drape over to cover up the imperfection? Why throw away a perfectly usable but imperfect container? Those wine bottles, inverted make a great edging for a border (mine is 6 years old now with no breakage).
  • Be a Localper as often as possible. I pride myself as I make every effort to shop with local smaller garden centers. By doing so, it really helps the local economy and you can curate a garden community of folks who KNOW you. What a terrific way to grow a garden community on a local level.
  • Support local events as well as local Garden Clubs. Now we are really talking community. There are talks, trips, plant swaps, tool trades and more. After all, garden life is all about building a growing conversation on gardening and growing.

    Quiet time alone is a way to settle the mind, connect with your inner self and just bask in the beauty that surrounds us.

Take care of yourself this Spring. By the time summer comes, you will be ready to take on another season of garden bliss!

Carefully restraining myself as I anticipate a colorful Spring!

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Snow Signaling Winter’s Arrival

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The first snow of 2018 in the DMV…

Snow…in early November has signaled seasonal changes all around me. As I drove into work and crossed the DC line the flurries thickened. The snowflakes became swollen with moisture and gently slid down the glass of Ms. Red. I could hear the pellets of sleet tap dancing in the silence of the morning. Traffic was light and I seized the opportunity to roll down the windows and listen…focusing on listening to the sound of the season rolling in. Seasonal weather silently arrived in the Nation’s Capitol and it was quite a surprise.

Snow has a calming affect on the first day. Adorning evergreen branches with a dusting like confectioners sugar. This was a vision that would most likely be seen in January. Predictions call for an early winter this year. Measurable precipitation is also in the forecast, if we believe the meteorologists..

Snow gracing the branches of the Gingko tree outside my office window…

As a child, my wish for my birthday was always the same – snow…and a lot of it. Mom would have been delighted today with the sight of this morning’s weather. I imagined hearing her say, “Teri…your birthday must be near because it is snowing outside.” My Mom’s voice is like music to my ears. I would quickly don my outside winter attire and bolt out the door to walk to school. Oh how I miss those days.

Mom would make grilled cheese sandwiches and double wrap them in aluminum foil with a baggie of molasses. Cooking hot dogs in the Hot Dog Hut, adding a touch of mustard on the roll with a sprinkle of onions , made me the hit of the cafeteria. The foil, always double wrapped kept these special lunches warm. Mom was a woman ahead of her time. Oh how I loved my mom’s lunches, even on a day without snow.

Snow has arrived for the season. How much or how little, we really do not know. What I do know is when the next weather event arrives, I hope it is a weekend. I will take Precious to the park and allow her to immerse herself in this seasonal gift called snow. I will wander in the woods at the break of dawn to capture the scene of a world at peace. Forest bathing in the bliss of the season and watching as Precious discovers something new will be just what the Doctor ordered.

Do you remember childhood memories of snow? Has this wintry mix caught you prepared or just embracing seasonal bliss? I am patiently crossing my fingers for a weather event on the last day of this month.

Happy First Day of Snow…

Teri

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