Holiday Season Begins
In our household November celebrations include my sister's birthday and of course Thanksgiving. The weather has been warm and dry. It has been too warm to plant the pansies or Spring bulbs. The full moon brought another cycle to fruition last night, Nov. 19th. I will remove the celosia, pentas and petunias (annuals) from their pots soon. They are still blooming which makes it hard for me to remove them. I'm hoping that tonight's predicted low of 28 degrees will settle the matter for me.
It was so much fun preparing for Annette's birthday dinner on Nov. 7th. Our family circle has been vaccinated and the feeling of uncertainty isn't as heightened as last year. Another plus, I didn't have to cook. She wanted Indian food from Indian Monsoon. Her partner Rob handled this and even cooked the birthday cake. My job was to lay the table and provide drinks and music. A quick download of 'Monsoon Wedding' took care of the music for dinner. I happened to have some joyously colorful table linens which made for a festive atmosphere. We have no plans for in restaurant dining until we have had our booster shots.
The pink kitchen table served as a drinks station to begin the evening. We purchased this during COVID isolation. It was great hosting everyone inside with the table decorated. Yes, there is pattern conflict between the two rooms, but it was definitely festive. Thanksgiving will be more coordinated. I'll replace the bright April Cornell table linens in the dining room with something more subtle.(I am a huge fan of pattern which can be tricky when decorating.) Normally, I use these on the patio table. I might swap out the colored table lights with white, too. We'll be a group of ten on Thanksgiving. I'll do my best to make it feel more spacious. The rooms in this 1940's cottage are small by today's standards. The addition was added in 2008, but there is no area in our home that is a "great room" style. We will convert the garden room off of the kitchen to the dining area on the day.
As mentioned earlier in this post, it has been warm and dry. We are in a drought status now. The autumn leaf color is beautiful as usual. The light in the interior of the house changes too. The huge willow oaks across the street have lost quite a few leaves which makes the living room much brighter. The rainbows are glowing when the sun hits the crystals hanging in the windows.
The leaf coloration of the forsythias has also intensified.
Looking to the far back- The ligustrum trunks are highlighted by the autumn light.
The Solomon Seal plants have turned ghostly.
The second wave of Moonshadow camellia blossoms was a nice surprise. I hope this bush will perform similarly to Yuletide as it ages which blooms for months here. They are both sasanquas.
The Southern Charm Verbascum next door doesn't seem fazed by the drought or the cool nights. The color has changed to this gorgeous mauve though.
Ahhh, the full moon of Nov. 19th.
Later the sky was clear as a bell again when I stepped out at 1:29 am. I was hoping to see a little bit of shadow, but it was too early. I decided to go to bed, so no photos of the eclipse.
I hope this year is a better one for people. Enjoy your holidays and autumn! Winter is coming. (Maybe, not here.) :)