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And our last post of the evening is one of a series of animal ornaments we found at Pier One several years ago ... this one is of course the Camel. We also have a Horse and a couple of Elephants like this one ... we like the style ... sort of chi-chi primitive, with the extra feature of a little bell on the bottom. Since they're basically unbreakable, we put these (and other like ornaments) on the lower branches of the tree, where things are often knocked off by an enthusiastic wagging tail ... plus the bell also helps to alert us if the pups are getting too close for comfort. Though the dogs are remarkably good around the tree and don't generally bother anything, their enthusiasm sometimes does make us cringe when they get too close.
Some of the other critters yet to come ... a penguin, a peacock, lion and zebra balls ... and then there are the fruits and veggies ... lots of em! So come back soon for those as we continue to catalogue the multitude of details from this year's tree ....
Again, another couple of recent acquisitions from the last few years .... the first is one of the many egg type ornaments that we think are meant to evoke those famous Fabergé eggs of yesteryear, though these were obviously much cheaper or they wouldn't be hanging on our tree! They come in man colors and all have a really jewel like look that we really like ... this is actually one we got this year, as this shade of purple wasn't available last year. There's an incredible amount of detail work on these ornaments, and I can't imagine how painstaking that kind of work must be, but hats off to the workers who produce such beautiful examples!
The second one here is part of a set we must have gotten at least five years ago ... just ordinary, yet sparkly, basic balls we got from Target .... but they do add a lot of flash wherever we put them, and help complete the all but the kitchen sink aspect of our tree decorating style. What's not to like about these two?
We got these two last year, and though they are on the more traditional side, we really liked how they added a different classy splash of color to the tree. C is always on the lookout for more blue and was actually the one who picked these out ... on the periphery you can also see some of the glass icicles that we received as a gift last year ... they really pick up the colors of the lights and sparkle beautifully wherever they are on the tree.
I thought I'd post a couple of the more atmospheric views of portions of the tree, even if the focus isn't ideal, we liked the effect of "haze" and the light play in these two shots.
The first shot is of our cardinal with her nest, an old ornament that I got from my sister a few years ago when she was clearing out a lot of decorations from years past. Given how long my sister hadn't been using this particular ornament, I would guess that it's at least about 25 years old, if not older. It was a part of a trash and treasure trove decorations she just left here one day with the instructions to either use them or just pitch them ... we kept almost everything and there's a real range of items ... from flocked plastic mice (yes!), to miniature furniture and assorted other oddities ... one of which is a bizarre flying Snoopy with antlers and a goat beard, something else I need to get a shot of to post here ... it's an ornament so strange that we usually leave it up most of the year. More on him later ...
The second shot is,the seahorse and his surrounding glittery neighbors ... I hope you enjoy the play of the lights and shadow in these shots ... some more "perfected" ones will follow.
Here's one of the more classic retro style balls we like to collect ... the kind I remember fell out of fashion when I was just a kid, though we had a lot of them kicking around that never got used and pretty much just got broken ... what a pity. This style of ornament has always fascinated me for its ability to catch the light and add a magical flash to the tree. We have a lot more of this style and love them ... if I keep up this ornament blogging, you'll probably see more of them soon!
And now, without further obscure references, here we have a detail shot near the top of the tree, highlighting the mushroom we found at World Market.Not the best focus we've ever gotten, but we think the perspectives are at least entertaining ... I kind of prefer the first shot without the flash myself, since it captures the light play better ...
See what you think ...
I'll start tonight by posting a couple of other recent finds, including my precious flamingo ... and this one is spurred by just having seen about the last hour of Pink Flamingos. And if you've never seen that particular John Waters film, well put it on your list of twisted treats to find one day ... But if you're really intent on having a John Waters Holiday, you might want to get this one first ... it's probably my all-time favorite Waters film (and I rave about almost all of them!) But Female Trouble really does have a direct holiday connection involving an overturned tree that has to be seen to be believed. There's even a heart warming rendition of Silent Night ... But I digress!
Here are the goods: The Pink Flamingo I got last year (woo hoo! 50% off sale!) and though it's still not my ideal flamingo ornament, it'll do. The cuckoo clock I got the same time as the JRT I posted last night ... thanks DIA Discovery Store clearance! There's also an assortment of various art glass balls we've been collecting the past couple of years ...more to come ...
Oh, and if you really want to celebrate the season in the properly trashy way as only John Waters can do it, you might want to check out this holiday CD!
At least at our house, it doesn't ,,, and this is one of the odder finds I've made in the past few years, one which C fell instantly in love with, though he didn't want to spring for the price of this one ... Another Polish made glass ornament. They do them well in Poland, I have to admit, and this is one that rarely gets put away, and finds a place elsewhere in the house during the rest of the year. Say what you will, but we think she's pretty fetching as she flies by the blue moon at the top of the tree, which is where you can see her now ...
This should suffice for one night, but I'll be posting more in the following days, if for no other reason than to catalogue the eclectitude of our tree!
This little girl, a Jack Russell Terrier, decided to come home with me while I was on a layover in the Denver airport about two years ago ... I think it was near December 23 or so, and I was on my way home from Los Angeles (I think?) ... my flight had been delayed (big surprise, given it was on United --we screw you with a sneer-- Airlines ... so I wandered into the Discovery Store in the airport, only to see one of my favorite words in the shopping lexicon ... CLEARANCE. So she had to accompany me back on my flight, as I killed time and racked up some charges on the old Visa.... along with a cuckoo clock and a pickle. I almost bought C a talking Steve Irwin doll, but backed off ... now I wish I had! But I have to admit, that voice sent me into many a fit of grimaces ... much unlike this lovely little dog made in Poland (surprise! for once the ornament was not made in China!).
I like to think that Pepa has some Jack Russell (to hell with this "Parson Russell" AKC nonsense!) in her, but even if she doesn't, the JRT is one of my favorite dog breeds, and as Catherine O'Hara and Eugene Levy sing, God Must Love a Terrier!
Not exactly a holiday themed film, but it's Christopher Guest, and I hope to soon be doing a piece on his films here, but there's the link to get you going ...
This is a find I made last year ... and I thought, hmm, how many people have a seahorse on their tree? Seemed like a perfect addition to the various birds and animals we have scattered about the tree ... and I really loved the color of this one (and I got it at a 50% off sale! woo hoo, that made the price reasonable instead of outrageous). Anyway here he is ... we think he's pretty cool.
Yet to come ... camel, penguin, pink flamingo, dogs, horses, elephants and other assorted critters.
I'm still looking for that kitchen sink ornament, but I've yet to find it .....
Yes, it's been a while, hasn't it? Hope those toes aren't worn out on your shoes, FM ... but seriously, my apologies to any who have been coming by and gotten tired of the Halloween pictures! Frankly, I'm really tired of them too! So with the change of holiday seasons full bore upon us all, I've decided to share a bit of our current holiday decorations day by day till Billy Bob leaves me a nice fat fifth of bourbon (Woodford Reserve would be nice) under the tree. And if you haven't already started your cycle of holiday themed movies, here's a delightfully nasty one to get you started.
So, here's the saga of the IVG household HOLIDAY TREE ... we bought a really nice, fat, full Scotch Pine a couple of weekends ago and brought it home. We left it on the porch for a few days in a bucket of water to keep it fresh ... that is until it froze and we brought it in last Thursday night to thaw out. Friday was the way too long ordeal of getting this huge 7 foot by probably 5 foot tree ensconced in the stand until it no longer wanted to fall over! Saturday found us installing some 750 lights ... 300 "Shimmer" lights (which are a very cool discovery I made at an after holiday sale at Sears last year), some 300 multicolor rainbow chasers and I think about 150 faceted multicolor lights ... in short, a lot of lights. Sunday was spent hauling up the multitude of ornaments we have collected over the years, some of which are very nostalgic for us (examples you'll see in the ensuing days), as well as a host of newer ones we have gotten in recent years. And since Monday, we've been adding to the tree every night, and think we're just about done at this point. Time to start wrapping gifts and getting them under the tree.
Yes, it's that other manic time of the year around here... the holiday decorating, baking and celebrating frenzy. I'm girding myself mightily to face the avalanche of tasks ahead in the next week or so ... marathon baking and candy making (if anyone's interested in recipes, I can supply them, just ask Olivia) ... you know, the stuff we all gladly obsess about before the big day arrives. But this is definitely the other high holiday for us, the one in which we get to express our appreciation for those in our immediate life surroundings and hope that carries us through this wretched year and well into the next one.
So, without getting too much more philosophical on the subject tonight (I have a report to finish writing on Friday... Ack), I'll just start out with a few posts on some of our favorite ornaments you'll find on the tree in our house right now. I hope you enjoy them and let me know if you want to see more. Well you probably will, whether you want or not, so consider yourself forewarned.
The two shots here are of what we've nicknamed "Sinister Santa," a detail from near the top of the tree ... the other is (despite its delicious blurryness) called "Twinkle Wonderland." We had fun taking these, and there are many more in store, so stop back in for further views. I even promise we'll get some decent shots of the whole tree at some point ...
Well tonight was the big night for the kids, both young and not so young ... when the cold (and I mean cold!) wind was blowing, the leaves were rattling and there was a definite scent of spookiness in the air ...
Though the weather was wonderful earlier in the day --reaching 70 degrees-- by late afternoon, a strong cold front came whipping through and dropped the temperature by over 30 degrees. We think this dampened some of the trick or treaters' plans, as we only had 55 visitors this year (57 if we count the two dogs who stopped by!). But those who were brave enough to venture out were amply rewarded with treats of candy, toys and pencils ... Our new feature this year -- the coffin of joyful doom -- was popular with the kids, who had to reach into the spooky coffin with a skeleton resting in it, to pull out toy prizes we had been collecting since last year.
As promised, here are the costumes ... in the first shot you can see FuManPhantom (aka IVG) holding forth at the door to help greet (and frighten a good number!) those brave enough to trek up the steps and on to the porch ... Next is her Devildogginess Herself guarding the candy before the kids started arriving. And finally, the scary CrowMan (aka C) shows off his labor of spooky love that took quite some time to assemble. Unfortunately the head is so dark it doesn't show up that well in these pics, but believe me, it's very authentic and creepy! He frightened more than one tonight as he sat in wait for unsuspecting beggars to enter his lair ...
Though we had the usual assortment of kids who threw their costumes together quickly (when will those Scream masks finally go away?), there were some stand outs with some of the kids, most of which seemed to involve Star Wars ... We had a delightful little Jawa with glowing and blinking eyes, as well as our own neighborhood Darth Vader, who arrived in an illuminated Darth suit. A good number of vampires as well ... the usual little princesses and even some toddler cows!
All in all it was a fun night for the gang here (except for the dogs who had to stay in for most of the festivities (4 bounding barkers was too much for our small treating area). But the dogs were also greatly rewarded afterwards with biscuits and beggin strips, so they didn't seem to mind too much. We ghouls later dined on mystery meatballs and cheeses, then watched The Exorcism of Emily Rose, which is actually a pretty good film. Supposedly a true story, it was a more than literate tale that we found appropriate for a cold, windy and definitely spooky night! I hope everyone else's Halloween will be a good one, and we'll treat our visitors here to one more day of images from our haunted house, so do stop by again for more spooky treats tomorrow!
By popular acclaim, Pepa has donned her Devil outfit just for you as a special Halloween treat! She'll be greeting the kids in her special suit tonight, wagging and guiding them to the big cauldron of candy and toys we have prepared for them. You'll also see Andy here, in his bumblebee outfit (well, it's really Pepa's but she is loaning it to him for the night), though he pulled off the antennae before I got this picture.
Rolly and Lacey were not exactly hiding when I took these, but they were having nothing to do with the costumes! Maybe we'll yet get them to keep something on and I'll post it here later?
That's it for now, as I have to get going and get my regalia on before the trick or treaters start arriving at 6:00 ... Des Moines has a weird tradition for trick or treating ... not only do the kids have to tell a joke to get a treat (and yes, we hear the same old groaners every year that they publish in the DM Register), but they are only allowed to go house to house for a mere two hours! We think that sucks, because we remember going for hours and coming home with huge bags of candy ... so we're extremely generous since they get so little time to beg.
Come back later for pics of the humans in their costumes, and more shots of the decorations ... I'll keep posting more later and throughout tomorrow, so check back often!
And, as you can see in the last shot, Pepa had to head back in to continue her preparations for the Devil Dog's big night!
I neglected earlier to post this link to the 2nd Annual BooMan Tribune fOtofair! For those not familiar with it, it's an annual occasion to show off photography in a community situation. Kind of like a big meta-gallery where anyone can post their work ... well worth checking out, and while you're there, if you're not a regular reader of BT, make it your new habit! A great place to join, blog and meet fascinating people from all over. This blog would not exist if it weren't for BT and those who got me started ....
I encourage you to spend some quality time feasting your eyes on the many talented photographers in the fair ... My humble contribution is on the Sunday list. Here's the link to the master list of fotodiaries!
Stop by and enjoy!
The most wonderful time of the year ... at least we think so. And we decorate for the occasion in high spirit as well ... so that's the theme for the next few days ... letting you all know what it looks like around here once the flowers have pretty much expired and the beds become a nice stand in for a graveyard.
We have first, our porch witch denizen, Grizelda, who haunts the porch casting spells with her demons and ghosts in tow ... you'll see more of her soon as well.
Then there are Bucky and LeVorpse, the two garden corpses who show up this time of year, just in time to impress and scare the trick or treaters ... LeVorpse even lights up! Though you can't see his feet here, they are pushing up from the ground.
We'll be getting more pictures taken tomorrow and Tuesday to post here, but these will make a nice teaser of the front porch/garden display for now.
We had our annual Halloween bash last night and it was a smaller, quieter affair this year than in some years, but was great nonetheless to get together with like-minded ghouls who like hanging out in a spooky atmosphere.
Coming soon (tonight or tomorrow) ... pics of our costumes, and the dogs in costumes as well!
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Guest photos by Fernymoss ...
Perhaps it's a gift from the goddess in the autumn garden ... but no matter the source, we're glad to see this lovely combination of pink, yellow and white make a rare re-blooming appearance. Though we've never known gladiolus to re-bloom, this has been an odd year for such occurrences around the garden here ... what with the hibiscus that ceased flowering in late August, only to have reappeared in full bloom (if a bit smaller) in the past few weeks though the Delphiniums seem to have taken to their autumn rest for now... Other plants are giving us their best farewells to sunny weather ... the zinnias, the Spanish Flag, morning glories and other annuals, as we face the prospect of a likely freeze later this week. We'll hate to see them go, but in the cycle of the garden itself, it's an inevitable moment we face each fall .... so a late-season surprise such as this seems even more worth savoring while it lasts ....
In the first shot you can also see a small visitor near the top of the shot ... it's a lacewing, a more than welcome predator who has decided to call our garden home. These are the kinds of guys you want in your garden, as they feast in the most discriminating way upon those little nasties such as aphids who want to consume and destroy your flowers. And unlike the especially proliferous Preying Mantises this year, lacewings won't just eat anything in sight ... they will selectively choose the bad guys who may be trying to devour other flowers. So if you see them in your garden, give them a smile and thanks for making your flower beds their home ... they will prove to you that they're worth having around.
The last two shots are especially luscious tight shots of the flowers, where you can get a much better look at how they look slightly unopened, as well as revealing their inner bits in more detail. The mass of chartreuse green you see in the background of the third one is Ipomoea battata or Green Sweet Potato vine... which alas, is now putting on lots of buds that may never have the chance to reveal themselves this year .... if we do dodge the freeze and they do bloom, you can certainly expect to see them here soon.
Enjoy these while they last ... that's what we plan to do!
No, it's not another brain operation or a fad dance, just more of my new favorite vine, Mina Lobata. Regular visitors will recognize this showy member of the Convolvulaceae family from earlier posts, but it was especially spectacular yesterday, so I had to try for more shots of it ....
I especially like the view of the old maple in the background, as it reminds me of the grumpy apple trees in The Wizard of Oz. There's just not enough I can say about this plant .... I love it!
I think I saw some beginnings of seed pods yesterday on the earlier blooms, so I'm hoping that the weather holds out long enough to let them mature so we can collect them for next year.
I'm still working on the perfect shot of these blooms while I can, but even if I don't get it just yet, I think these examples show it off to great effect. If you're interested in planting this unusual member of the Convolvulaceae family, see my previous posts for more tips.
Oh, and NDD, I'm working on collecting those seeds for you and Ms. NDD. If we get some from this, I'll include them as well ....
And to any other readers out there who are interested in things they've seen here over the past summer, just let me know in the comments and I may be able to accommodate requests. Remember, gardening is all about sharing as I like to say, and our mentor Frank says .....That's good enough for me!
Well, it's been a while again hasn't it? At least I have the excuse of having had to travel for work last week to the East Bay area of California! That's a whole other post to come, but in the interests of showing off some things I got in the garden today, I thought I'd put up a few shots I got of the castor trees we have planted out in the front bed.
For those of you who are old enough to remember, Fletcher's Castoria was a popular children's laxative back when I was a kid ... and as any kid who knows what taking Castor Bean Oil was like, apparently it was much tastier. Cherry flavored, if I recall correctly ... though I don't think I ever got the branded version ... if it came to that, I got the nasty tasting stuff that came in the medicinal looking bottle.
Odd preface, you might say? Well, the thing that has always fascinated me about Castors, and especially since I've been growing them, is that the entire plant is poisonous. Deadly, in fact. Leaves, seeds, flowers, it's all going to make you either violently ill (its purgative qualities are historic) or kill you.
Despite those rather ominous remarks, Ricinus Communis, v. Carmencita is a marvelous ornamental well worth growing in your specimen bed. Though I got these in rather late this year, they have reached at least 7 feet at this point, and if they are able to make it further before a hard freeze, we may even see mature seeds develop. And we're hoping they do, as our supply from previous years is getting somewhat depleted ....
Yes, this is the infamous Castor tree reputed to repel moles (if you have them) and can be the basis of a deadly toxin called Ricin. But in any case, as an architectural element planted in the garden, there's little less dramatic than the huge coppery leaves and their late summer blooms, which you can see in some detail in these two shots.
They're best planted in a full sun position where they can get ample moisture to grow ... they are fast growers, who if planted early enough, can easily top 8 feet or more in a season. Their green cousins get even bigger ... often topping 12-13 feet, but we didn't get any of those in this year, as this is our favorite of the species with its rich reddish foliage and odd blooms.
I'll be commenting more on these fantastical plants soon, but wanted to just give you a taste of things to come in the next few weeks, so here you have it ... the plant that produces a laxative (though I'm still not sure how they process it to eliminate the toxic properties) much dreaded by children of my generation ... I wonder how many of today's kids have even heard of Castor Bean Oil and actually know what it's used for ....
AND, finally, a couple of Nasturtium pics for Olivia ... not so subtle persuasion as to why she needs to plant these beauties in her garden next year ...
Eminently edible, deliciously fragarant and all around easy, the only thing Nasturtiums ask is that you don't plant them in too rich a soil, otherwise you'll get fantastic foliage, and few flowers.
And not so subtle hint again ... throw them in your salads for a nice zippy peppery flavour ... if the flowers aren't enough for you, go for the foliage as well! Unlike the Castors, Nasturtiums are wholly edible and tasty too!
I managed to get a few nice shots of a Monarch butterfly dining on the yellow Butterfly Bush (Buddleia weyeriana) this afternoon ... funny thing is, I was working more on getting shots of the late season blooms of the white Hibiscus when I looked over and saw this one perching on the Butterfly Bush! So here are a couple of the better shots I was able to get before s/he winged off into the breeze ....
Alas, it seems as if fall is really here, and serious about its last hurrah, since these guys have been a bit more scarce of late due to cooler weather and less sun ... but with the nice warm up this weekend in the low 80's, they are making sure they still show they're around and appreciative of what we have to offer them .... We'll miss them when they're gone, but sure are enjoying them while they're still here!
I hope you do too .....
And our last post of the evening is one of a series of animal ornaments we found at Pier One several years ago ... this one is of course the Camel. We also have a Horse and a couple of Elephants like this one ... we like the style ... sort of chi-chi primitive, with the extra feature of a little bell on the bottom. Since they're basically unbreakable, we put these (and other like ornaments) on the lower branches of the tree, where things are often knocked off by an enthusiastic wagging tail ... plus the bell also helps to alert us if the pups are getting too close for comfort. Though the dogs are remarkably good around the tree and don't generally bother anything, their enthusiasm sometimes does make us cringe when they get too close.
