Saying Goodbye To My Flowers

 

Of all the Oak trees around here, this is my favorite. It is on the dam of the pond about twenty feet from another one almost just like it. Almost because while this one is still attractively clad in its fall finery, the other one has already lost its leaves.

As blustery as it has been and still is, you would think this one would be bare, too. But every year, it is like this. Maybe that is why it is my favorite.

This photo was taken when the morning sun was shining on the tree earlier this week. I think the color is gorgeous.

I can't remember a time when the November weather has stayed so warm this late in the year.

The flowers are still blooming, though I expect this is the last day for them. Temps tonight are forecast to be in the mid 20's.

That won't affect these lovely red roses HD gave me for our anniversary, of course.

But it will affect my yellow roses that have been blooming so profusely.

It fascinates me that as the blooms begin to fade and whiten, they then have highlights of pink.

Super surprising is that the delicate Impatiens are still blooming even though we have had a couple nights when the temperature was 32° or lower.

I assume the reasons are because they are underneath the Rose of Sharon bushes and next to the cement patio.

Even the straggly ones in the papa bear, mama bear and baby bear pots still have a few leaves and some flowers on them

There are two blue petunia blossoms hanging on.

And these luscious volunteer snapdragons which have been a real bright spot all season. I hope they reseed and come back again next year.

I think they must really like being in Great-grandma Matilda Means' old iron bean pot. 

Call them Dianthus, Pinks or Carnations, I had four pots of these this year - all slightly different colors.

I have had these over-winter in the past, either setting on the patio or in the unheated garage. 

I hope some of these might do the same this winter.

 

This is the fourth pot. I'm sure they would all look more attractive if I was better about pinching the spent blooms. 

Geraniums are favorites of mine. 

Especially salmon and pink ones. Add some sprengeri fern, aka, asparagus fern, and you have one of the prettiest pots on the deck. 

By the way that pot of hen and chicks on the left and the sedum on the right, will set there all winter and next spring green right back up for another year.

The end of growing season is always bittersweet - the sorrow of an ending versus the pleasurable anticipation of "next year".

On an entirely different note - Bud was doing a long walk for his birthday this morning when he called me from Lake McKinley to tell me there were a lot of white birds on the water. 

I thought they might be pelicans; instead it was a flock of Herring Gulls. This photo was taken from the east side of the lake.

And this one from the west side. It was a nice surprise to see them.

FYI - Jonathan Livingston was not among these gulls, because, you know, his passion was for flight.