I love a clean slate. A fresh start. Perhaps it's just my Virgo nature; I don't know. I like using things up, emptying things out, and wiping things clean. Then I like creating and gathering anew. I like to plant, nurture, and harvest. To write and dream and collect. And when it's time, I wipe the slate clean again, ready for another new beginning.
Prepping and planting my fall garden has this magic - its always a fresh start after a brutal Florida summer. My morning workout since school started has consisted of pulling weeds, pruning overgrown plants, and doing some major cleanup in the yard. It's sweaty, dirty, buggy, and extremely soul satisfying work. I've also been spreading compost, planting seeds, and tending to new seedlings. More balm for the spirit.
This morning, I took a moment to snap a few shots around the garden... want a tour? Seed trays hold the promise of fresh produce and flowers for months to come, including kale, tatsoi, collards, peppers, tomatoes, zinnia, sunflowers, herbs and more.
There's not too much in the ground yet, so you get to see some of my garden whimsy too. This fairy gal hangs out under a bamboo teepee, currently covered in luffa vines - a new addition that survived the summer heat. The bees love the flowers, and I'm amassing a small collection of homegrown sponges for the bath!
This is what it looks like growing... it gets real big, and then matures and dries out on the vine. You crack off the dried skin and it looks like a luffa you'd buy at the store; plus it's full of seeds!
I received two beautiful new bird feeders this summer. This handmade ceramic one hangs in the butterfly garden near the garden pond, which is watched over by a sweet cherub. Filled with safflower seeds, it's a favorite of the cardinals.
And this sparkly-mosaic-roofed feeder is positioned near my gazing globe, also in the butterfly garden. When the light hits this area just right, it lights up like a disco! The blue jays and squirrels love this feeder.
Here's my potting bench. I dream of fixing it up all cute - I even have a Pinterest board devoted to adorable, and likely never-used, potting benches - but for now its simply a workhorse. I found the stool on the curb a couple weeks ago and I think I might paint it just for fun. Someday.
I have one orange and one lemon tree in my yard. This is the orange tree. I'm super happy we'll have a crop this year... the trees seem to only produce every other year.
While the bananas just keep coming, year round. This is one of three bunches currently ripening!
I've been wanting to create a terrarium in this big glass jar for some time. Meanwhile, it went ahead and made one on its own right where I left it overturned (near a bunch of other projects waiting for my attention).
This Muscovy duck and its sibling (or mate) is out in my garden even more than I am. They eat all kinds of bugs and dropped bird seed from the ground. And they doze under the shade of a clump of banana trees. I've come to expect them each day. Perhaps they need names?
There's so much more to share... and so much more to do. But this seems like a good place for me to stop for today. How about you? I'd love to know what's happening in your garden... leave a comment and share! {Include a link to take us on a tour if you have one.}
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