We've been having the perfect Fall. Long and drawn out, with a healthy dose of "Indian Summer". So I've been taking advantage of the nice days to clean up the flower beds with my "helpers"

yup, this one

and this one (but not the one laying down in the background - I think he's lazy)...

I cut down the perennials, like the phlox and the hollyhocks, and broke open the seed pods to sprinkle around for next year
I cut back my irises - this one I had totally chopped up and replanted last year - I think it's thriving

cut back my daylily...

while Berry Baby ate some dirt...

one of many reasons why it's best to do gardening during his nap...

Some of my perennials were working hard at making a comeback, like this delphinium - I didn't have the heart to cut it down

The ladybugs were still busy, even after several hard frosts, all red and round and cute...

actually, not really cute, I'm just trying to be whimsical like Prairie Chick - to be perfectly honest, they're just bugs...I hate bugs...they fly at you and land in your hair or down your shirt (just for example...)

and after all that hard work and dirt eating, it was time for a "coffee break"

to wrestle with Dad...

to drink "kids pop"

and to relax in the warm Fall sunshine

I just love Fall (but not the bugs - I hate the bugs)

In Love With Fall

I'd like to take a moment to commemorate Fall

my very favorite season
when the sun comes out in the evening after a day or two of rain
and you can see the glow of the sunset breaking the grey of the clouds
I love Fall...it's so wrap-up-in-a-fleecy-blanket-with-a-hot-coffee-and-a-good-book kind of cozy...

I love the contrast in the colors

I think someone forgot to tell the tree on the right that it's Fall now

I mean seriously, the tree on the left is pretty much naked now

but the tree on the right (or is that trees?) is looking like it's the middle of summer

I guess some trees are smarter than others...

Long may the Fall continue (really long, if those two trees have their way)

on Fall...

I'm having *that* kind of day. Not the bad *that*, but a good *that*. The kind of *that* where everything just seems to be going *right*.

For example, I had an early meeting at work this morning which required me to be at work before Berry Boy would be on the bus. But it all worked out because Berry Guy didn't have to go in to work as early as usual today, so he was still home when I left for work.
And, I made it (pretty much) on time to my meeting.
And, work was a pleasure this morning.
And, Berry Baby was deliciously happy to see me when I went to pick him up from Granny's.
And, Berry Baby is taking a wonderfully long nap right now.
And, when I got home with Berry Baby, I found the dishes washed, the table and counters wiped, and all the sticky stuff wiped off the dining room chairs (I tell you, Berry Guy has been racking up some serious points lately)
And, it's a wonderfully rainy and dreary Fallish kind of a day.

Yes, I did just say that.

I love rainy Fall days. They make me want to curl up with a good book under a fleecy blanket with a hot cup of latte (or straight coffee, depending on my mood).

I love how dark the wet tree trunks look...

I love seeing the wet driveway and hearing the cold wind, and knowing that I am warm and cozy in my house...

I love it in all its Fall drearyness.

And speaking of curling up with a good book, I think I will go and do just that...the house is quiet (unusually so) and I want to take FULL advantage.