Weather's nice, so back to work.

Planted 3 red/pink mini roses that I got from the 99 cent store in the rose bed, then potted up 9 Stapelia gigantea cuttings for Saturday's seed & plant swap.  The bouganville in the soaking sink is a bonsai to be; I've been waiting for cooler weather before trimming the roots and shaping it and with the rest of the week forecast to be in the 80's it'll be a project for tomorrow. I found 21 blue iris rhizomes for free on craigslist.com and I hope the person who listed them finds the card I left and will check out my blog from time to time to see how they're doing.  Will have to decide where to make a bed for them plus some bulbs I picked up in the last few weeks; somewhere in the front yard would be nice, so the neighbors can enjoy them too.

Today's happenings

This morning while getting a glass of water, I saw a hummingbird @ the backyard feeder, but it left before I could get a picture; hopefully, there'll be plenty more in the days to come.  Went out an picked more okra today, so tomorrow's dinner is going to chicken and sausage gumbo.  Went thrift shopping after work and went to one store where I've had my eye on an Acme Hand Corn Planter, patented in 1900, which they were asking $35 for.  Well  today it was 1/2 off, so I snatched it up; it'll wind up somewhere on the back porch, probably on the wall.

All lit up

Halloween decorating is almost finished:

Found a cool porch light cover and got the "basket of terror" lit up.










Larry's in the spotlight in the back of the cemetery and the werewolf is busting out for a night on the prowl.

 

The view from the street is electrifyingly spooky.

Smells & tastes good!!

Well I finally decided that the forecast was cool enough to take down the shade cloth over the back gardens then I put up 4 strings of solar mini lanterns so the frame doesn't look so bare.  Harvested more okra today and a few peppers.  Decided to put the sign I made yesterday on the planter bench on the front porch and I think it looks good there in front of the Stapelia.

Only had enough yeast to make the cinnamon raisin bread and it smelled so good baking that someone decided she couldn't wait and had a slice as soon as it came out of the oven.  The verdict is in, and it tastes as good as it smells.

What I did today

Didn't get anything done in the garden this weekend, as I had family obligations (shopping, mostly) and got a slow start on things today.  I did find the time to make a garden sign using my favorite quote on the nature of gardens and gardening in general, though I'm not sure where to put it yet.  Probably will go on the front porch, since it already has a red and white color scheme.  Also started a bread sponge, which is a starter for any one of a number of breads and is used to make a softer core in the loaf while allowing for a crusty exterior such as those found on artisan breads.  Will be baking a cinnamon raisin bread and a whole wheat walnut bread tomorrow.

Gruesome Larry and other scary folk

Larry has moved to a more prominent location for Halloween, right behind the family cemetery.  He got tattoo sleeves for the occasion and looking at his head, you now know why he wears a burlap face cover most of the time.  He used his battleaxe to cut of Medusa's head and he's carrying his trophy around to turn any trespassers to stone.



Larry's joined by his cousin Fred, who's wearing a matching ensemble (can you see the family resemblance?) and cousin Stew, who's just hanging around.  Chuck ate all of Larry's corn, so Larry put the shrunken skulls that Cousin Fred gave him as a souvenir of his trip to Borneo in the basket instead.

 More creepiness may be in store for the future, so check back for the continuing saga of  "A quarter acre of terror!".

The haunting begins!!

Finished the milk jug Jack o'Lantern totem and decided to make it 5 jugs high, so I had to add a PVC pipe through the middle for stability and anchored the pipe using an extra solar lamp stake I had left over from the solar lamp post project.

Set up the cemetery complete with glow in the dark warning signs on "rocks" and a werewolf breaking through the ground holding a beating heart.  Decided not to mow to get that spooky overgrown look.