An Afternoon Walk Around the Yard

The very first stepping stone I ever made.
The shrimp plant saying goodbye to summer.
Just to let you know what we really do around here.

An Afternoon Walk, Continued

Cowboys, standing guard at the door to the shed.
Broken brown tiles rescued from the dump.
Garden bench with inlaid tiles that served as the lookout point for the dogs that used to be.

The current garden sentry.

Fall in Florida

Today was the first "real" day of fall here in Florida. We awakened to 45 degree temperatures with the need to be outdoors all day. The fire bush and porter weed plants are over six feet tall and in the prime of their bloom.
Once we have our first frost, they will die back to the ground until spring. But for now, these plants provide great hiding places for the cardinals who love to hop in and out of their thick branches.
On the screen porch is the large potted fern with its newly sprouted white frond and lush, soft leaves. Cocoa darts in and under this plant while sniffing the perimeter of the porch for a glance of the gopher tortoise who lives under the edge of the house.
I took advantage of the beautiful weather to clean out the garden shed that had become way too crowded with the vestiges of summer. Now it is all orderly again until the bustle of spring planting begins anew.

The Value of Brush Piles

This is my Zen Garden, an area in the back corner of my yard that I have dedicated to meditation. I have surrounded the red metal enclosure with bamboo and when it has grown to surround the area, will provide a quiet place of respite for solitary times. Right now, though, the brush piles have taken over the yard. We trimmed the trees last weekend and all of the trimmings are littering the property. That's an ok thing for us because we take our time cutting them up and hauling them out a little at a time.
One of the great things about brush piles is that the birds love them. For some reason, they consider them hiding places, little playgrounds, and little birdie rest areas. This morning withing a ten minute period, I saw a pair of cardinals, a pair of bluebirds, three woodpeckers, and various chickadees. Now mind you, this only lasted a few minutes as everyone jockeyed for positions at the recently-filled feeders but it was a thrill for this nature lover on a slow Saturday morning in the out-of-doors.