Hi Friends,
Fall is here….and I do enjoy the brilliant colors of the falling leaves, the crispness in the air as well as the wood smoke circling the chimneys and the thought of warm and hearty soups. But wait, you say….you live in Florida and can’t possibly have those Fall pleasures. You would be right, we don’t have the beautiful changing colors shown in the above picture.
However, we do have a change in seasons in Florida…In Oct we look forward to the cooler temperatures which allow us to open the big slider doors… opening up our homes to the outside. Our temps in the early mornings range in the upper to lower 60’s, while our highs are usually in the upper to middle 80’s. This is the time we can eat dinner, build a fire in our outdoor fireplace and sip wine (or hot chocolate) around the cozy fire. True, the temp is not 20 or 30 degrees, but that is just fine with me!! A light jacket works much better (in my opinion) than clothing that resembles the Michelin Man or a giant marshmallow! 🙂 I can remember bundling up with only my eyes peeking out and watching the KC Chiefs play at Arrowhead Stadium…so I have been there and done that….Now I want everything in moderation! well, most things! 🙂
I do remember the Seasons in the Midwest….with the drastic temperature changes that cause the leaves of Autumn to turn glorious reds, brilliant oranges and mocha browns and they are certainly beautiful! .. And not to be outdown, we Floridians do have a few trees that drop their leaves….the Plumaria, also known as the Frangipani is one….it is the flowering tree blossoms that formulate the aromatic Hawaiian Lei’…. or at least the Florida Plumaria is a close relative of the famous Lei inspiration. The two Plumarias that we have produce beautiful yellow and white flowers that have the most wonderful sweet aroma!
However, the tree becomes quite ugly in the Fall and Winter as it resembles a stick with lots of little sticks jutting out at weird places. There are many varieties with vibrant colors including pink, solid white, solid yellow and a fushia. Simply beautiful when they are blooming which is pretty much continuous in the Spring, Summer and early Fall! In early Spring, big giant, green leaves sprout out from the sticks and as each cluster of buds spring forth ,the sweet fragrance of this waxy, wonderful flower fills the garden and truly makes it a Secret Garden.
The beautiful Oleander bush (or tree) also shed some of their leaves in the Fall. (Please see one of my pink oleander trees above). I go out every morning to the back garden and use my little hand held leaf blower to blow the yellowish leaves off the pavers. The green, slender oval leaves turn yellow and drift to the ground….and since we have four of these…two are over twenty feet tall….I have a daily task.
Hmmmm, the weather is cooling down tonight as the sun has slipped below the horizon! I think I will sign off and take my cup of hot tea out to my Secret Garden … and enjoy the warmth from the outdoor fireplace. Contentment…from a busy day! There is nothing better! Wish you could join me!
Until tomorrow!
Me…(feeling cozy and grateful)!
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