Westie Rescue Garden Roots

Westie to the Rescue

Painting

We have been away from computers for a bit.

My dad went into the hospital for a few days, we thought,

and ended up staying two weeks.

He is home now and very happy to be there.

One nice thing is that on Thanksgiving Day the hospital

cafeteria gave us a full on Thanksgiving Day Meal for free.

Sweet potatoes, squash and apples, turkey, mashed potatoes...

you get the picture. We thought that was very nice of them.
Then later we had a lovely Thanksgiving Day dinner
that my daughter cooked. I ended up not doing very much
in the kitchen this year.

I did get a few paintings done today.  One of my westie boy

who probably thinks we have been off on vacation every day

the last few weeks. Not.  Outside he usually is at a running pace

everywhere he goes. And I tend to be slower with wellies on.

So our westie boy is the scout.

More about paintings here.

Photography and Plants

I love textures in plants and weathered wood.

I love photography and my iphone

comes in handy outside when the lighting

is just right. Not that I wouldn't love

a fabulous, expensive camera, but I can 

have fun with my phone during the wait

(long wait) for a nice camera.  

Fall has arrived and we were bundled up today.

A frost will soon hit us and I don't think it will

be unexpectedly.  Can hardly believe summer

is over outside, but summer will live inside

for the next nine months.

I've been trying to sneak in some artwork.

My schedule is filled to the brim, but it's

always rewarding to paint. Maybe I can share

those next time.

Keep warm. 

Fall Tablescapes for Kids

Little ones and big ones alike will love coming to the table when it looks inviting and playful.


The rabbit is cut from cheese with a cookie cutter jumping over an apple cut flower.




For my vases I turned our thrift shop find (ice-cream sundae glasses) upside down and added water

and some hydrangea flowers picked moments earlier with ferns from the yard.

Little hands cannot knock these vases over very easily.




Lavender is still blooming here. I rolled a sage leaf around some lavender stems.

The kids can add these to their lemonade, if they like, or put them in their pockets.




Since Halloween is close I took tangerines and put them under cloches.

Sweet little faces made from cheese cut outs and stuck on with a dab of peanut butter.

They'll have their own orange tangerine "pumpkin" to eat grown just for them under the glass house!



These hydrangeas bloom all summer and are still blooming!

Hydrangeas have such a cottage feel. You can be frugal and still have fun.


I am linking to French Country.

Inspiration Friday

Farmhouse Friday

Friday Unfolded

Debra's Common Ground Fall Tablescapes

Farm Friend Friday

Hospital Stay

Life takes some twists and turns when you least expect it. We were eating out with my parents two weeks ago and my dad tripped outside of the restaurant hitting his head on the concrete. He has been in the hospital since then and I have been with him, too. Hopefully he will get to go home soon away from all of the walls, carpet, linoleum, needles, to the green fields and countryside where his house sits. First he must get well!

Being here I have noticed the lack of art around. The cutest art they have is Mona Lisa washing her hands when you enter. I will post a picture when I can. My watercolors and a few supplies are here with me, but I have yet to get them out.

We've had a visit from a therapy dog named Jack who was part chihuahua and part jack russell terrier. He is 13 years old and loves all of the attention he gets from patients and you could tell he loves his job!

Hopefully everyone else is well.

Westie Dog and Ground Hog Day

The other day our westie dog boy started barking ...the kind of bark that says "I can bark straight for 2 minutes without taking a breath." I ran to the window and this is what I saw. The groundhogs here in the countryside are rather large and plump. (And this one might now be slightly deaf from Sir Salty's warning barks.) I went outside and let the ground hog run back down to his home underground. Our westie thought he won and rolled around in the grass and raced back and forth to me in a happy craziness.

Westie dog grooming. I've bought our own electric dog shears and I'm letting his skirt grow out long, but trimmed his back, sides and neck, which I think looks lovely in this picture. Now to keep brushing vigorously and keep the tangles away.

A Walk in the Garden Foliage & Cuttings

This cool 49 degree chill makes for brisk walking unless you are looking at perennials and shrubs. Then I dawdle a bit. I picked a few leaves and cuttings to bring inside. Rather holiday colors---the burgundy foliage and evergreens that I love. Burgundy and lime green are very catchy colors.

From bottom left moving clockwise in the ABOVE photo is euphorbia, hydrangea leaf, ruby fringeflower cutting, yew cutting, purple sage, bugbane, cedar cutting, coral bells leaf, cypress cutting.

I didn't bring in all the burgundies. That way I can flutter around, from plant to shrub, and gather another little "foliage bouquet" on my next walk. Why don't we wear foliage boutonieres? Or carry foliage nosegays?

After I took the picture I put them on the tablecloth and the red made the green color pop out. This is what every gardener does...walks around with leaves to match or contrast foliage. Some designers do it in their head, but it's so much better to actually walk around outside holding up leaves and comparing in the garden while the leaves fall like confetti on you and the woodpecker keeps a steady beat. The squirrels chitter-chatter and scramble up trees that no longer hide them.

Somehow in the fall the squirrels think the gardens are theirs! That is when our westie doggy boy is inside the house. They keep a very low profile when he is running with his nose to the ground. The ground that is still waiting for more tulip and daffodil bulbs to be planted...sigh

Orange Mums Burgundy Purple Coral Bells Foliage

Another variation of the orange and plum/purple colors. The mums are a burnt orange and the shadows in the flowers petals are the same plum color as the heuchera, "obsidian" coral bells' leaves. The same color combination as I showed from the day before, but different plants and intensities of color.

The Fall season really has alot going for it if you have contrasting foliage and flower combinations next to the oranges, reds and yellows! I have been a burgundy or royal purple, as some call it, foliage fan for years! The purple makes the orange seem more intense.