This is the time of year for gathering...........

and for all of us, "gathering has a whole different meaning".

For me, it's a gathering of the last of the pumpkins on the vine,

a time to gather seeds from the fading flowers ,

a time to gather the many pieces of nature( from pine cones to dry leaves and twigs)

 that lay in wait for my imagination to use them in some way or another.

It is also a time to gather my thoughts...................

with holidays approaching, it's a time I think upon those I love and look forward for them 

 to gather at our table ,

and a moment to gather my feelings as I think of the loss of some of those dear ones who won't be joining us this time.

It's a time to gather up my mind's list of all that I am thankful for and that my family got through the year on,

and then there is the hope and faith  I gather in my heart........

for the days to come..........

How about you?
What are you "gathering" this time of year?

I would love to hear! 

"This is the beginning of a new day

. You have been given this day to use as you will. You can waste it or use it for good. What you do today is important because you are exchanging a day of your life for it. When tomorrow comes, this day will be gone forever; in its place is something that you have left behind...let it be something good."

My greenhouse door fell off early this spring...........

it was a "track sliding" door..........which I have never liked because dirt always gets into the sliding frame and makes opening and closing the door impossible.......and I was forever wrestling with it.......this is how it broke..........along with my gardening spirit.

.

But it's back on and improved and made so much better............

by my sweetie, my husband, who put the whole greenhouse together for me a few years ago.

He agreed about the track door,(he has been the one who fixes it each time it breaks)  so he attatched small hinges onto the frame,

a reliable hook to keep it closed...........

and now it's like a regular door that swings open without me having to wrestle it.

He even put a cute little knob on the door.

 (sorry about all of the dirt in the photos)

we had severe wind and dirt for two days straight and then a wonderful heavy rain........I have much to clean up.

Inside of the greenhouse, I have tomatoes growing, new flowers sprouting,

moss rose blooming,

as well as the herbs. It is so fragrant inside.  I have more plants that need to be moved in.........the weather at night has turned out quite chilly.

Do any of you have a greenhouse?

Do you have door problems..........or other issues?

Is so, how did you solve them?

I would love to hear!

Something to make you smile............

for the weekend

Do you have one???

Best wishes for a great weekend!

The wind is high ....

blowing the dirt and clouds across the prairie .It whistles and moans through the closed back door, as if to beg to be let in..............such a blustery day.  

I have felt a change in the air for the past couple of weeks..........and I know that all of those summer days I grumbled about will soon be replaced by the cold howling wind.

Salem has sought refuge in the front porch columns, but you can tell by his eyes, the wind sounds fierce and he is thinking about seeking shelter in the warmth of his bed inside.

Sophie has already thought of that............our short walk to the gate and back with the wind pushing and dirt stinging us all the way, has made her realize..............

there's no place like home.

The days are still quite hot , however, nights

dip down and are quite chilly........as well as the mornings.........

making outside life, a little slower.............

and a little less active until the sun comes out..........

the fish in the pond have noticed the difference as well...........they have slowed down in eating and seem to drift in the water instead of rush around as they normally do.

They linger out in the morning sun instead of seeking the shade underneath the boards.

4 newly hatched fish somehow escaped being eaten this summer and are growing well...........

All has slowed down.............except my embroidery.............I am finding more time to stitch with less outside work to do.

How about you?

Have your outside activities slowed down?..........or is this the busiest time of year for you?

I would love to hear!

The farm grounds are in line with the migratory

path of the Monarch Butterfly

who travel all the way from South Dakota..........on their way to New Mexico......just to feed, lay eggs, and die. They have a life span of only 90 days.

For a few short days,they fly in by the hundreds to rest among the crooked Mesquite trees here on the grounds.  One can walk underneath the trees and the butterflies swirl around as they take to flight. It is a wonderful sight witnessed each year since we moved here.............so many years ago.

The cool weather drop and the rain showers have brought life to the flowers in the garden............

The Zinnia are so cheery that I had to capture that in my embroidery this week.

How about you?  What wee creature has made it's path to your door?

Wild geese in flight perhaps.............or maybe a colony of ladybugs?

I would love to hear!