Garden Bloggers Bloom Day October 2024

October in my zone 6a Southern Tier of New York garden has arrived, and it's time for the 15th of each month Garden Bloggers Bloom Day, hosted by Carol at May Dreams Gardens.

Where did summer and early fall go?

Another growing season is getting ready to conclude, as winter closes in.  We will most probably have our first frost Thursday morning.  Outlying areas have already had theirs.

This week so far has been rainy and cold, and for that reason, I cheated a little and took some of these pictures Saturday.

First, the outdoor flowers.  For the last time this year I have so many that I won't show all of them to you.

Japanese anemones are in full bloom.

Nothing says fall like mums.  I got this inexpensive plant at our area Aldi a few weeks back with buds just starting to open and it is now blooming its little mum heart out.

My dahlia is finally blooming.  It gave a disappointing performance this year.

Not so the lantana, which had a great year, perhaps the best ever in all the years I've grown them.

The last three years I've grown cuphea, a flower that hummingbirds love.  The flowers (at least, what is sold here) are normally red and yellow, but last year I found a cultivar with white flowers.  The hummingbirds didn't like it but, about three or four weeks ago, I found some growing in a crack between two pavers in my yard.  These volunteers were a pleasant surprise. 

My impatiens are not looking good.  I took five cuttings after I took this picture to (hopefully) root in water.  I keep them alive all winter and they will bloom later in the winter.

Sedum.

My fall blooming heuchera.  The leaves you see are not heuchera leaves.  The flowers were all leaning at angles and I got neighboring plants.

Variegated geraniums, before I took some cuttings.  These I will root in soil with rootone, a power rooting hormone.  Mine dates from the pandemic (my local nursery didn't have it in stock) so I hope it still works.   

This is the hard part of outdoor gardening, when it is time to say goodbye.

Before I go, some indoor flower pictures.  Here are two African violets.   I got these at my local nursery on a special sale.   This one is loaded with blooms.  I hope it doesn't meet the fate of my previous African violets, all of which died this summer.  I suspect overwatering was the cause.  

This African violet had sunburn on the leaves but I decided to buy it anyway. Its chances of seeing the sun this winter aren't that great. 

Last but not least, Plectranthus.  I've had this plant for years now - actually, three small plants. All are blooming. They bloom in October and November, on a northern window, too.

And that's my October collection of outdoor and indoor flowers.  Why not visit the link at the beginning of my post and find out what is blooming in other gardens from all over the world?

Memories of the Mid 70's #MusicMovesMe

It's Monday and it's time for music!

Today I am joining up with other Music Moves Me bloggers. We are a group of music loving bloggers who blog about music each Sunday or Monday (or even later in the week). If you have music to share with us, you are most welcome to join! (Music Posts Only-meaning at least one music video, please! Otherwise, your post may be labeled "No Music".)   

Our head host is Xmas Dolly, and our co-hosts are Cathy from Curious as a Cathy, joined by the knowledgeable Stacy of Stacy Uncorked and, last but not least, me.

Every other week, we have a theme.  On alternate weeks, we can blog on any music theme we want. This week's theme is "You Pick".

I came up with this thought when I was starting to wake up the other day.  The years between 1974 and 1977 brought a lot of changes in my life - graduating college, marrying, moving hundreds of miles away, moving again (more than once) due to my spouse joining the military, and through it all, music was a constant.

So I've picked a playlist reflecting those years.  In no particular order:

 A top 10 song on June 1, 1974:  Paul McCartney and Wings - Band on the Run 

Also from 1974, the artist is a man born Steven Demetre Georgiou, who is now known as Yusuf/Cat Stevens. and his song is Oh Very Young.

Just a little over a year later, 1975 was such a great music year.  First, Elton John and Someone Saved My Life Tonight.

1975- December 1963 (Oh What a Night) - Frankie Valli and The Four Seasons.

 The end of 1975 and beginning of 1976 brought us a crossover hit, C. W. McCall and Convoy.  This song may puzzle my younger readers but CB radios were big about that time.

1976, and memories of a hot, hot summer the year we lived in Wichita Falls, Texas while my spouse attended tech school.  And, as far as I'm concerned, this song has just enough cowbell.  Here's Blue Oyster Cult and (Don't Fear) The Reaper.

 Meanwhile, in the Airman's Club and its live bands (all good!), I first became acquainted with this song.  Here's Wild Cherry and Play That Funky Music, another 1976 hit.

Finally, 1977 brought us a cover of Bruce Springsteen's debut single from 1973.  But it took Manfred Mann's Earth Band to bring it to #1.  Here's Blinded by the Light, a song I've had on my blog before and it well deserves extra play.  This was released in 1976 but made #1 in February of 1977, just in time for it to bring back particular memories.

And that's a wrap!

Join me again next Monday for another installment of Music Moves Me!

And, if flowers move you, join me again tomorrow for my 15th of the month Garden Bloggers Bloom Day post.

Shadowy Scarecrows #ShadowshotSunday

Today, some shadowy pictures from the Otsiningo Park Scarecrow Contest.

The contest, explained.

West Corner Firefighters.

TV Weatherperson from a local station.  The space is so children can their picture taken with the scarecrow.

 

This is a picture which I wish I could identify, but I can't.  Anyone? 

I'll have more on Wednesday.

Joining Lisa at Lisa's Garden Adventures for her #ShadowshotSunday.

Another Installment of Scarecrows

It's time for another installment of scarecrows from the ninth annual Scarecrow contest at Otsiningo Park in Binghamton, New York.

The contest, explained.

Note, I will not be online until sometime tonight, so any comments will not be published until then. 

Elliot and a Scare Crow, one of the few entries not from a non profit.

We Scare because We Care.

This Prime Care international display deserves a closer look.

The closer look.

Vote Here! (sorry, in person voting only this year).

More scarecrows (and their shadows) tomorrow.

Aurora Photos #SkywatchFriday

 Taken around 10:20 pm last night outside my home in the Southern Tier of New York with an iPhone 13 mini and, I'm assuming, night mode.

This didn't look anything like what I saw with my eyes which was just a  sort-ofpurplish glow in the sky.  I live in a neighborhood with a lot of light coming from houses and some street lights.  You can even see stars in this picture.

I don't often do night photography, and my iPhone 13 mini insisted on a three second timer.

So I don't know if that is technical "cheating" but wow, those colors.  These photos are not manipulated in any way other than the three second delay.

Some stars are visible here, too.

I think I can even see a small piece of green aurora in this picture. 

I thank the co worker who texted me just after 10pm and told me to look at the sky.  She lives up on a hill and I hope she had a better view. 

Timing is everything.  I went out again about 11pm and it was (surprise) cloudy.

How fortunate I was.

Joining Yogi and other sky watchers each Friday for #SkywatchFriday.

The Garden Winds Down

Our community garden plot is winding down for the year.  We've had nights in the 40's ( 7C) and next week we will be reaching down to the 30's.  We have a frost advisory starting at 12:01 AM Friday.

This year, my spouse (99% of the work) and I abandoned in ground beds in favor of two raised beds.  We were offered a third, abandoned bed mid-year which was a good year because one of the beds we had rented was absolutely infested with (I think) bindweed.  It was a losing struggle.  We would have had to live at the garden to even have a fighting chance against it.  We aren't going to rent that bed again. 

These are some of our last crops of 2024. 

Cabbage.

Asian greens.

Peppers, as the last couple ripen.

Lettuce.

We still have wax beans ripening (not pictured) and a handful of cherry tomatoes.

Fall is a bittersweet time for the gardener. It's a time to celebrate what the season provided us, but we know that the garden has slowed with the declining sunshine and temperatures.

But (hopefully) there is always next year.

Scarecrow Season 2024 #WordlessWednesday

It's time for the nineth annual Otsiningo Park Scarecrow Contest, which runs this year from October 1 to October 23. 

Per Broome County government, "Individuals, families, businesses, clubs, groups, and organizations are encouraged to create a friendly scarecrow to display at Otsiningo Park and for a chance to win prizes. Entry is FREE of charge. 

The public is invited to vote for their favorite of the almost 40 entries.

More and more, it seems non profits are the main participants and it's a good way to get their message out.

Like this one, for example, number seven, from ACHIEVE, a non profit that serves those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.  I have a feeling this one is in the running for winner.  We'll see!

 Or this one, from STIC (Southern Tier Independence Center).  A developmentally developed family member gets services from both of these fine organizations.

Number 5 is from the NYPENN Pathways Girl Scouts, an Asian elephant to symbolize their Treats, Reads and More program.  This one, I think, will also be in the running for best scarecrow.

Finally, this entry from Broome County DDSO (Broome Developmental Center), which serves individuals 21 and over with developmental disabilities.  This is actually a state run agency but I am going to include it.

Did you have a favorite?  If not, no worries, as I'll have more entries in the coming days.

Joining Sandee at Comedy Plus for her #WordlessWednesday.