Category – ‘Tis the Season

I have never been a fan of winter and cold weather. So when fall comes around, I’m not too excited. For me, the one redeeming feature of fall is the burst of color it provides. I was afraid the dry weather would mean a disappointing fall this year, but I’ve seem some gorgeous specimens in the last few days! At my house, I have a pretty red dogwood and an awesome orange maple. What’s your favorite aspect of fall?

Kauffman Gardens, near the Plaza in Kansas City, is a little-known gem. It is lovely in spring and summer, but even in autumn the gardens are blooming. I was there last week, and the chrysanthemums put on quite a show. There were a few dahlias still hanging around, but mostly there were chrysanthemums. I am partial to chrysanthemums because I was married in November, and my wedding featured a lot of gold and yellow chrysanthemums.

My favorite thing to do this time of year is look ahead to spring! 🙂 I really, really hate winter! So I’m planting tulip and crocus bulbs this weekend. Are you doing any yard work?

Sometimes my pots are pretty sad-looking by the time October rolls around. For that matter, between the bunnies and the squirrels, the pots sometimes are destroyed by August! I often pull out the summer annuals and re place them with fall mums. But this year, my coleus plants out front have done amazingly well and still look great–too pretty to pull out. I’m thinking of taking a cutting and trying to propagate and plant again next year. Anyone have any luck with that? I’d love to know your tips, dos and don’ts!

Recently, my daughter and I saw this beautiful tree, one of the first to turn, on an afternoon walk around our neighborhood.

Every year, I have visions of creating Fall floral masterpieces in my porch and patio pots. And every year, I “fall” short. The time, money and frustration are too much. Just yesterday, I set out some pumpkins and bought a couple of cheery, yellow mums for the front porch. One of the pumpkins (turned for a nicer photo) has already been nibbled by the squirrels. It’s a hopeless cause! But if you’re looking for fall decor inspiration, take a look at my Pinterest page. It’s full of fabulous ideas! Happy Fall to all! https://www.pinterest.com/darlenedelucaau/fall/

I made cobbler with fresh peaches for the first time this season this week, then ate the first serving when it was still warm. The true mark of summer. The peach cobbler recipe I use is posted over on my blog. What’s your favorite summer dessert?

Several years ago on the Fourth of July, my son was traveling in the Netherlands. He walked past the U.S. Embassy in The Hague. Overcome with patriotism, he took this picture of the American flag waving proudly above the outpost of U.S. diplomacy. He wanted another picture, one with the Stars and Stripes unfurled to greater dramatic effect. So he loitered across the street from the embassy, waiting for the breeze to catch the flag. The Dutch police decided he was a threat. They pulled him aside and questioned him. He was apparently able to convince the local authorities that

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Will your family be decorating graves this Memorial Day weekend? It was never a late-May activity in my family when I was growing up, but that’s because we lived in a town where we had no roots. My husband’s family has lived in the same county for five generations. They have many graves to decorate.