This Week at a Glance

Happy Sunday, friends!

Is anyone else still adjusting to dark at dinnertime?

It feels like just last week I was watering the garden at 9 p.m. in full daylight. Now I’m lighting candles and hunting for my slippers before 7.

It’s been a different kind of week around here. Jax had surgery last Monday to remove a mass near his knee. Any bigger and it could have started affecting the way he walks. Thankfully, it was benign.

He has had a couple of dental surgeries over the last few years and lost most of his teeth, and those were hard. This one has been harder.

He can reach the incision, so he’s wearing the cone of shame. For a dog mama who treats her dogs like her kids, that cone has been rough on both of us.

What I didn’t know about my “son” is how sneaky he can be. The cone comes off for meals and potty breaks (he refuses to go with it on), and the second it’s off, he bolts and starts licking. A couple of seconds is all it takes. The vet’s word for the incision was “angry”.

So now he’s on antibiotics and by my side 24 hours a day. Yes, that includes getting rammed with a cone about once an hour all night long.

Some might ask why I let him sleep with me. Some of you already know why. I’ll take another week of broken sleep if it means he’s not going through this alone.

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A few things are still left in the garden to harvest and bring inside to dry. This week it was eucalyptus and statice.

Remember my friend Lori’s goats? I stopped by to visit them a couple of weeks ago, but forgot to share them. They are the perfect trio: blonde, redhead, and black-and-white, each with a completely different personality.

I also snapped a picture of one of her fall garden displays. Rudbeckia and pumpkins, right on time for October.

In the Garden

I took many, many pictures of the garden last Sunday. In photos, everything still looks beautiful. Up close, the end is growing near.

The orange and red ‘Fireball’ zinnias are still going strong. The other varieties are slowing down.

The State Fair zinnias are taking the worst of the dreaded powdery mildew this time of year.

The ‘Red Cherry’ marigolds are hanging on, but I’d give them another week or two. That’s Ollie out front, keeping an eye on things.

The cottage garden is shifting from the beds of bright yellow black-eyed Susans to mostly green shrubs. I tucked in ornamental kale, cabbage, and dusty miller to carry it through.

The dusty miller adds the prettiest silver to the garden beds this time of year.

A little yellow calendula is still blooming, and you can spot the purple asters near the birdhouse.

Sedum ‘Autumn Joy’ has reached that deep rose stage I wait for every fall.

It’s been a gorgeous week. Foggy mornings burning off to sun, and the bay flat calm. I took this one last Sunday evening, before Jax’s surgery.

A few more views of the cottage garden before sunset.

This year’s pumpkins came in much smaller than I’d planned. Many of these are from my friend Lori’s garden.

I’m officially behind on decorating the garden for fall. The pumpkins are sitting on the stone patio, waiting for me to find them homes. They’ll have to keep waiting until Jax can be out in the garden again.

Here’s the patio from up on the deck.

I love the fall color combination in this container on the greenhouse steps.

I believe this is ‘Ramona’ clematis. I hadn’t seen it bloom since spring, so two flowers on the arbor last week were a nice surprise.

A quick loofah update from the cut flower garden. You can see the white pumpkins just beyond the arbor.

I’m waiting until the loofahs turn brown to process them into sponges. Even if the sponges don’t turn out the way I hope, I’m growing them again next year. They’re too fun to look at not to.

This Week from Years Past

I discovered Artondale Farm last year, and sadly I haven’t made it back this year. Yet.

Their seasonal farm store runs from the beginning of April through Christmas Eve. Inside, you’ll find vegetable and culinary herb starts, fresh produce grown right on the farm, and a wide variety of handmade arts and crafts.

If you’ve lived in Gig Harbor for a while, you’ll remember the old Grange building. The family who bought it turned it into the most colorful little spot, filled with fresh vegetables, pumpkins, and cornstalks.

It’s a good reminder of why supporting small, local farms matters. I’m hoping to get back before Christmas for a few handmade gifts.

On the Blog This Week

My Favorite Inspiration Around the Web This Week

I am absolutely LOVING this spooky and elegant Halloween table!

Try making this ghostly ginger cocktail or mocktail for Halloween.

This Rochester farmhouse will inspire you.

Here’s how easy it is to transform everyday objects into spooky decor.

This giant skeleton outdoor Halloween decoration is so clever.

These meringue ghost tartlets are the cutest and look delicious.

You’ll love this New England Home revival.

Here’s how to throw a pumpkin carving party.

I’m loving these Halloween ghost Peep s’mores.

Try this DIY pumpkin craft using wool dryer balls.

Coming Up Next Week

Next Sunday, I’ll have an update on Jax and, fingers crossed, a cone-free report. I’m also settling into fall nesting mode, so I’ll share a look around the cottage now that it’s cozied up for the season.

The dried hydrangeas ended up filling nearly every room this year, and I can’t wait to show you where they all landed.

Until next time,