Everlasting Flowers

I love fall-even that it blends into winter, but I will miss my roses and hydrangeas. I love to create silk arrangements. They don't take the place of real flowers, but are lovely stand-ins. Here are just a few.

I love the deep blue of the hydrangeas against the silver chalice with the apple green ribbon.

Apple Picking

Wednesday was the perfect fall day-the air was crisp, the sky was a brilliant blue, and you needed that jacket or sweater. My Mom has been going to the same orchard for over 20 years-she just celebrated her 84th birthday last month. She and my grandmother and aunt used to go-what a wild bunch that was! Grandma was in her nineties, my aunt her late seventies with mom just a few years behind. Now it is just me and my mom bounching over the country roads our bushel baskets at the ready. We brought home some lovely delicious-(my husband's favorite), some crispin-(they make delightful dumplings) and blush-skinned Jonagold. Couldn't resist a home-baked apple dumpling to take home & more gourds & mums. I just can't help myself!

Made some Orchard fruit dip for the cut-up apples-mmmmm!

Added to the outdoor decorations and in a few spooky weeks it will be Halloween. Time to bring the spiders down from the attic and polish up the silver treat bowl. I wonder if the clock will chime again this year. We bought it at auction four years ago and it never ran. Wound it-jiggled it-nothing. Last year when I was filling the treat bowl the clock started running and went through its repetoire of chimes, ran for half an hour and stopped. Spooky! Whose ghost was it-maybe this year we'll find out! Mickey was not impressed-he continued his afternoon nap on the ottoman.