Gobble, Gobble.....

Wishing each of you and your families a Happy Thanksgiving Season!

May you all be enjoying friends and family during this time of appreciation of all those who have been in your life!  

I am thankful this year to be celebrating three special family members who are with us today to hug!  Tim, my son-in-law who is doing just great following his double lung transplant three years ago, Ted, my grandson, who is just a one year survivor of a heart valve transplant and also a liver transplant!  And Brett, our grand son-in-law who had a sudden stroke late this summer while at work and is on the road to recovery!  What's with these younger men in our lives?  Not sure, but we are all sure appreciating their smiling faces at the dinner table today!

And thankful for those who provided the gift of life so these guys can still enjoy life with us!    I know their families are missing them at their table. Our heartfelt  thanks to them!

Winter Porch Pots!

It seems everyone is thinking Winter and Holiday Porch Pots and outdoor decorating right now!  Or at least the stores and garden centers are stocking and advertising them!

 Are you still thinking or are you  doing some shopping for them?  Or are you one of us who love to create your own design(s) and are collecting the greens and accents for this year?

Here are a few ideas from the recent class I attended at Sargent's on 2nd (with three other gardening friends)!  I am so looking forward to enjoying more décor pieces and enjoy them all winter this year!  Our snowbird winters are at an end!  

I notice these are suitable for all winter.   Or you could add a sparkly touch for December and remove the sparkle after New Year's turning the design into one suitable for all winter!  Lights always are a great touch for evenings!

Holiday decorating!

Last week I attended a seminar at one of our area popular Garden Centers with a Florist Dept. (Sargents on 2nd)!  What fun and what great ideas were shared by their skilled staff!  

The demos ranged from holiday themed floral and indoor décor to stunning outdoor planters that will be suitable to enjoy all winter!

I found this newer Amaryllis pretty exciting in the below arrangement!  The exciting part is that that bulb is fairly well encased in a wax substance that acts as its container of potting soil and source of water to grow!  All it needs is a location with adequate light (not direct sun) and it will grow and bloom!  What a great gift for someone who does not have the location or ability to take on the responsibility of plant care any more!  Not to mention how easy to create a beautiful holiday or seasonal arrangement to enjoy!  (And we have just such a friend who has always enjoyed Amaryllis but no longer can handle the watering,  etc. any more!)

Simple to do, this was just added to an artificial candle ring of greens!

Here is what to look  for at your favorite florist or garden center:

We can hardly wait to deliver this holiday treat to our friends this year, so they can continue to enjoy their favorite holiday flowers!

More Kokadama's!

I now have a trio of them displayed together using succulents!

The plants that were in these balls did not do well, they were pieces of fairy garden plants I had outside. I guess they didn't like the indoor conditions to well!  So, I recalled Ginni told me she had made some Tokadomas with succulents by just poking a hole in the ball!  It worked great!  I just lifted out the not healthy plants and stuck the succulent roots into the hole and pressed the top to close the hole!  And the balls are still in good condition to support other plants!

Mini African Violet

Recently a  visit and lunch with friends ended up at Bachman's in Minneapolis .  Yep, they are gardeners!  I just could not resist this adorable mini African Violet!  The plant is only about 3 inches high from the base of the plant to the tip of the highest flower! I just could not resist adding it to my kitchen table garden bed containing 3 other mini's!  Yes, these mini's keep me checking to see if they need a drink every few days, but they are so adorable! I enjoy the extra attention they need!  They are under a lamp so really are a focus these grayer days of late fall/early winter!  They put smiles on my face often!

My daughter's garden view

My daughter and I do not consider her a gardener...…. not even a plant inside and even an arrangement of fresh flowers does not interest her!

I must admit, this view from her living room looking out is a beautiful view of a landscape design created by mother nature!  Really, with a view like this as you look thru the windows who needs a flower garden out there!

Kari mows the lawn during that season and gazes upon a few shrubs and three Karl Forrester Grasses that comprise her nod to gardening.  I noticed she tends a pot of Basil on her deck in the summer so I arrived with a fresh pot of basil for indoors and she was delighted!  I understand someone brought her an outdoor planter of flowering plants this summer that she even took care of!  Maybe there is a bit of gardener in her afterall!  At least there are signs of a few baby steps with caution but I don't expect it to grow much further. It's the taste of fresh basil with tomatoes that she loves, not growing the plants!

We had a delightful weekend visit with them and as usual, I soaked up the sight from inside her living room enjoying the calm and peaceful picture that is ever changing by season, weather conditions and the time of the day! A bit of wildlife floated by on the lake and in the sky to enhance the scene.   

They live on Rush Lake, just north of the Twin Cities, in Minnesota for the last several years, after growing up and raising their family in Rochester.  The peaceful and quieter lifestyle there is their dream come true and Tim enjoys his fishing hobby in all seasons.  The conversation was centered on Denny's return to winter in MN bringing him back to ice fishing and getting him equipped to do that again.  I think I vetoed a snowmobile to travel on frozen lakes with!  A tour of Tim's new ice shack has become a big attraction for Denny to return there this winter for some ice fishing action.  So long as I can curl up with a book and glass of wine by the warm fireplace, I'm all for it!  I might need to shop for a pair of boots tho!

                  

This morning was an overcast day announcing winter is approaching fast!