The GOOD, The Not-So-BAD, and definitely The UGLY

The GOOD:  Our Front Yard:  (10/3/16)

My sweet hubby posted the picture above recently on Facebook.  By the looks of this picture,  one would never know that we were in a HORRIBLE DROUGHT here... You know that I have mentioned it MANY times since June...  For 'yard workers' like us (who love our flower, shrubs, plants, etc),  this has been hard...  It has even been harder due to the unusually HOT summer temperatures we have had...Also, financially,  it has about killed us--with very high water bills the past couple of months... AND--there's no end in sight for us since we are now in the 'dry season'.... BUT --we have tried to save as much as we could afford.

We are watering what we can (and our front yard truly isn't bad at all)... George keeps the roses watered --so they are fine.  The front yard grass and plants are okay since they do get some water.  The biggest problems are the BIG shade trees,  shrubs --such as our Rhododendrons,  Azaleas,  and Forsythia,  and grass--everything except the front yard.... Even the English Ivy (which usually does fine in dry conditions) is struggling in sunny areas of our yard.   AND---if you want to laugh,  even the WEEDS (which usually thrive in ALL conditions) are struggling!!!! ha

But---it's not all DOOM and GLOOM... There's a lot to be thankful for.  I'm thankful today that the weather is now a little cooler --which helps tremendously...  AND--I'm thankful that we DO have the extra money to water the yard as much as possible...   I'm thankful that we are not in a hurricane zone --since I feel so sorry for people who lost lives and whose property was damaged due to another Mother Nature situation...Prayers for all of them....  After seeing what has happened on the East Coast,  I have no right to be complaining about this!   I tell myself this over and over.

Today---I put together a post so that you could see our yard in October...  Hope you enjoy the pictures.... Click on them for enlargements.

The Not-So-BAD:  We do have a little color on some of the trees... Hope we get lots more color --and have a pretty FALL here.  (10/7/16)

The UGLY:  Our sweet little Forsythia Bush (even though we do water it some) is really struggling.  We bought that bush about 4 years ago when it was tiny.  It grew and this past spring,  it bloomed and was so happy.  NOT sure of its future... Sniff Sniff..  (10/9/16)

The GOOD:  Cantana IRIS  (10/3/16);   We love having our Re-blooming Irises bloom in the Fall.  We don't have too many so far this Fall --but what we have are pretty.

The Not-So-BAD:   The workers at the Golf Course behind our home are having to work very very hard to keep the fairways and greens in good shape this year.  I'm sure they have spent money above what is in their budget just to keep the course in good shape.  BUT---they have done a great job!  (10/7/16)

The UGLY:  This is our lower side yard.... The Periwinkle has done okay through the drought,  but the GRASS has not.  Hopefully,  the grass will come back when the rains come back!!!!  (10/7/16)

The GOOD:   ALL of our Beautiful ROSES;  This one is St. Patrick's Day...  SO pretty!!!!  (10/3/16)

The Not-So-BAD:  Our pretty VINCA;  George built me a small flowerbed in front of the big Rose Bed--and the Vinca (and our Pansies in Spring) have enjoyed this area.  (10/2/16)

The UGLY:  Our poor little AZALEAS;  We have 4 Azaleas in the backyard  which may not make it.. We also have 3 Rhododendrons --which we are trying hard to save.. Believe it or not,  but this Azalea is getting watered... It just needs DEEP water ---which only comes from lots of RAIN.    (10/7/16)

The GOOD:  A new Iris in our yard this year --and it has bloomed a lot this FALL.  Its name is  "My Friend Jonathan"... (10/3/16)

The Not-So-BAD:   Our Autumn Joy SEDUM has been GREAT for several months.  It started out almost white in color, then changed pink,  and is now a rusty/red....  (10/2/16)

The UGLY:  Our beautiful back yard!!!!!!  YIPES...  (10/7/16)

WELL Friends---that is enough.  You get the idea!!!!  None of the "Not-so-Bad" pictures are bad at all... In fact, they could be in the GOOD category... SO---out of the 12 pictures,  only 4 are what I'd call BAD...  Again I say that we do have so much to be thankful for... Weather is something we all have to contend with  sometimes...  (Remember the horrible Ice Storm we had here a couple of years ago????? Yipes)....  This too shall pass!!!!!

Blessings to all of you.

Hugs,

October Photos through the Years

October 2, 2016:  Not much Fall Color ---but our ROSES are doing GREAT!  (No matter how dry it is,  George does a good job keeping the roses watered.)

When the seasons change,  I always enjoy looking back at some of the pictures I have taken during the same season in past years... Today,  I chose one picture taken during October for the past 10 years,  since October 2006.  Pictures give us so many great memories --and I am finally beginning to keep them organized enough to be able to easily find them  (although --before 2010,  I have to do more searching in my archives)!!!!!

I love OCTOBER.   Do you?  What do you think of when you think of October?  I think of cooler weather (yeah),  beautiful leaf colors,  walking/hiking --in the crunchy leaves,  fires in the fireplace,  raking (YES---I do enjoy that),  homemade Chili,  Hot Apple Cider,  Pumpkin Cheesecake and and Pumpkin Fudge (ah heck--pumpkin everything!!),   traveling, being with friends,  etc. etc. etc.

Hope you enjoy today's pictures... I chose only one per year (which was hard) --That is just a smidgen  of our lives during the month of October!!!!  You can click on the pictures for enlargements.

October 2015:  In gorgeous West Virginia with friends,  Neal and Patti

October 2014:  We cannot resist a Fall Trip to Cataloochee in North Carolina to see the ELK.

October 2013:  We were at Pine Mountain State Park in Kentucky (again with friends,  Neal and Patti)

October 2012:  We were in Hocking Hills,  Ohio (again with friends,  Neal and Patti)

October 2011:  We seldom miss an October without going to the Smoky Mountains to see the colors.  This picture was taken EARLY in the morning from the Gatlinburg Bypass --looking toward Mt. LeConte.  Don't you just love the sunbeams?

October 2010:   Taken right here in Fairfield Glade,  in our own backyard.  Mama Deer is feeding THREE babies!!!  How can that be?

October 2009:  Taken from a cabin in Maggie Valley,  North Carolina--on the LAST trip with four childhood friends;  Two of them are now deceased --and greatly missed by ME....We did have a wonderful time on this trip.

October 2008:   Besides our Roses,  we love seeing the RE-BLOOMING IRISES bloom in Fall as well as spring.  

October 2007:  They had just delivered our big pile of wood for the winter... We were in the process of stacking that wood that year...  BIG JOB!!!  A couple of years ago,, we opted to get a Gaslog Fireplace ... It's not nearly as messy or as much hard work --especially on George's back!!!!

October 2006:  Even 10 years ago,  I loved to hike in the Fall......

Well---I will stop.   That is only a tiny bit of what we have been up to these past 10 years during October..... BUT--it is so much fun to re-live all of those wonderful memories...

This year,  here at home,  we are having a very different Fall from usual.... We are in the midst of a terrible drought (have I mentioned that before??? Nah--only about a hundred times) and we are just not sure how much pretty color we are going to have this year.  The tree leaves just seem to be dying and falling off...Maybe our main color this year will be BROWN.    Stay tuned during October and November and I'll keep you posted... BUT--even if we don't get much pretty color here,  we have a couple of little trips planned!!!!!  

Have a wonderful week---and get out and enjoy yourself no matter where you are!!!!

Blessings to you,