HerbnArts

      ...Sitting in awe, I watched the various critters in my scruffy neighborhood from my window as I ate amid-morning breakfast.  "This place is a circus and here I sit with a private showing of the entertainment!" I thought.  My house kitties were thoroughly entranced by the fluttering ballet in the air as chickadees were building a nest in the Direct TV dish attached to the house.  From another window the synchronized leaping of young squirrels could be observed as they traversed the neighbor's backyard fence with its prominent posts.  Peering out the front window, wild cats could be observed jumping in and out of a neighbor's window as they lined up for their morning feeding. After feeding , the cats jumped and tumbled with each other.  Some did a surprise leap from piles of fall leaves to attack and tumble with another cat.  From my kitchen window I watched the clown act of Burt the groundhog as he lumbered along...

      ...After cold rains and blustery winds much of the brilliant colors of fall are scattered all over the ground turning a sad brown.  Today has turned out to be warm and gloriously sunny.  After a weekend of 50 to 60 degree temps we are experiencing mid-70's.   Is this our Indian summer in Ohio?  Last evening I looked at the night skies and realized that it was the first time in quite a while that I could clearly see all the fall constellations.  Viewing the stars never fails to thrill me.  Everywhere I am continually hearing, "If it could only be like this all year 'round..."  But all too soon the holidays will be upon us.  Already I am hearing advertising for Christmas party reservations and how we should be making our New Year's Eve plans.  Too much too soon!  Just give me a chance to savor the warm air and lights and colors of fall for the last brief moments of Indian summer     Recen...

     The black knight of Barberton    ...The colorful leaves fluttered and swirled as they drifted to the sidewalk in the crisp autumn breeze.   It was Halloween afternoon, and the weather was trying to decide whether to be dry or wet as the skies stubbornly remained gray and overcast. A few days ago rain had knocked the brightly colored leaves to the ground creating a golden carpet everywhere.  At least it wasn't snowing.  Beggar's Night in Ohio has always been a crap shoot of having to don winter coats over costumes or carry an umbrella along with one's treats bag to do the rounds of begging. This year most of the costumes will have winter underwear underneath as part of the appropriate apparel for the Halloween  festivities.  Autumn gold at Lake Anna      Barberton has always been "good pickin's" when it came to trick or treating goodies.  As a kid from the Howdy Doody era, it was always ...

Mammoth Sunflower Seed head       ...Fall is creeping into Ohio as I enjoy the warm sunny day here in Ohio.  The trees are starting to show a bit of orange and gold tipping the leaves.   The breeze carries a new fragrance that lets one know this is fall.  I love September!  It is also my birthday month.  Johnny Appleseed and I share the day.  I can hardly wait for the best of the cider to start flowing with the fall Ohio harvest.       Today I chopped down the dried and spent stalks of the mammoth sunflowers that I have so enjoyed all summer.  Though they are gone I still have plenty of photos of their huge smiling faces.  Carpe Diem, seize the day!  Time to make fall displays of mums and asters! All  my herbs are trying to finish up for the season.  Sadly, all my basils are done for the summer.  It was a season that was all too short here in Ohio. With the joy of har...

  ...Their smiling faces were beaming in the summer sun.  Sunflowers are everywhere this August in Ohio.  I had no idea how much I would enjoy seeing the giant sunflowers when I had planted five simple seeds next to the house.  The little kid came out in all of us when I shared the images of my tall flowers with friends around town.  Everyone was stunned to see how high the stocks of the giant flowers grew.  It is no wonder all the gardening books suggest planting sunflower seeds as a summer gardening project for children.  What a thrill for beginning gardeners to enjoy!  One friend asked me what special things needed to be done to have such glorious plants.  "Very complicated," I told her.  "You plant the seeds in the ground , water them, and wait.  The sunflowers do the rest."          A few days ago a friend brought me a  bouquet of the smaller sunflowers from her garden.  She ...

    ...Stepping onto my back porch I inspected the mammoth sunflowers that were growing there.  Having grown to a good 15 feet tall, I could barely see far enough up to the sunflower stalks to confirm three out of five had flower heads forming.  It is so exciting to see something planted from seed not only grow, but grow so big and wonderful.  Sunflowers really are an exciting summer miracle that makes it work the wait to see those happy faces beaming toward the sun.  They remind us that we should rejoice in life, lifting our hands and praising our creator.  Once the flower heads are done blooming I intend to tie them to the deck railing  to allow the local birds to nibble the seeds.  That is another fun project for youngsters to do as you create natural birdfeeders from the big sunflowers. How I wish I had planted more....       Many years ago I can remember driving into the country and seeing entire fields of ...

   ...It did stop raining constantly, but now we have slipped into the hot and humid days of late sumbymer here in Ohio.  The temperature has been in the 90's.  All I can manage to do is constantly scrounge for icy cold food and beverages to consume.  My last grocery run had very little real food in the purchases.  All I could think of was popsicles and Italian ices.  My container garden is doing just fine as long as I keep watering everything.  Most of my herbs are drought-tolerant, so this sweltering weather actually suits them.  I can hardly believe that my solitary lavender is starting to crank out more blooms.  Note to self, must get yet another large container for the lavender plant.  That sucker is trying to crawl out of its large pot.  Maybe it has been influenced by the mammoth sunflowers that I  planted next to it.  Those giants are about 12 feet tall and still growing.  They aren't ready for flowe...