We still haven’t had a frosty night here, and there are none in the forecast, so many of my plants are still blooming. Indoors, it seems the Thanksgiving cactus flowers are on the wane, and the Christmas ones haven’t opened. Though when I got my hair cut the other day, my hairdresser’s two Thanksgiving cactuses were blooming away, in a western window.
I found mealybugs on my orchids, I suppose because they lived out on the patio all summer, where anything could invade. But overall they are healthier for their summer outdoors, because it was easier to water and feed them. Also an inchworm chewed up a patch of leaf before I saw what was happening. I got some neem oil therapy, and new orchid bark in which to repot all the orchids, but don’t think I’ll manage to do that whole job until January, some sunny day.
Other things are more hardy and less insect-prone out of doors:
Last week at the full moon, we had nearly clear skies, so I took another moon picture from my driveway. The moon was noticeably more northerly from its summertime position, when I have more often been out there looking. I liked getting some of the Christmas lights of the neighborhood in the picture.
I ordered a lighted star to put in my upstairs window that faces the street, something like what I used to have 8-10 years ago, but now they cost three times or more as much. And this week a friend is helping me to get a cut tree in town, which I will keep in water in the garage temporarily. With the help of my grandchildren when they arrive, we should be well decorated by Christmas Eve.
Gladsome Lights 
Your garden looks fantastic. It will be fun for the kids to decorate the tree with you. I missed that moon — not sure if I was tired, unaware or (most likely) cloud cover! But it’s beautiful with the neighboring lights.
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The Christmas cactus I received as a gift four years ago was blooming like crazy at the time, but hasn’t bloomed since, even though it’s put on enormous amounts of foliage. I can’t change the amount of light it gets, but perhaps I should feed the poor thing!
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I think if you feed it regularly, and then in September, stop the feeding and water it less, maybe it will get the memo. 🙂
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I think we took a photo on the same night of that moon. You still have plants thriving, fun. Our snow is quickly melting making a sloshy mess around town and here, too. With only rain in the forecast things will soon get sloppier. 🙂
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My son and I will pick a small Christmas tree a few days before the day and I too will leave it in water for a while. It gets so hot here that the needles tend to fall off quite quickly. I always enjoy seeing your flowers 🙂
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It’s fun seeing your flowers- we have pretty deep snow in Wisconsin, which adds it’s own beauty with the neighborhood lights complimenting it 🙂 All the best to you and yours!
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Hello Gretchen! You have so many lovely flowers in your garden. It will be fun to decorate the tree with the grandchildren; they get so much joy out of that. And a real tree always smells so delicious too. Enjoy all the holiday festivities with your family. A very Blessed Nativity, Merry Christmas!
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A real tree ( do you always have one?) is so special. No artificial one can compare. What fun to decorate it with your grandchildren.
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GM, Our family had nothing but real, fresh-cut trees until my husband died, after which I had faux trees for several years. But last year when I needed a new faux tree and the whole experience of shopping for one was quite unpleasant and overwhelming, I realized I could manage a real tree if I just got someone to help me. So that is my plan for the foreseeable future.
It’s more expensive in the long run, buying a tree every year — or at least, every year that family are going to be at my house — but it’s simpler, in that I don’t have to pack up that faux tree — which will never easily fit in its box again! — and find a place to store it. And I get to be more involved with whichever friend helps me ❤
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Wow. That 2014 tree! I’m speechless.
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What about it impresses you, Lisa?
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It’s so full, but not so much that you couldn’t get ornaments in there. Very impressive looking.
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I liked that, too…
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These are lovely plants. Mine look more like they are patients in a plant hospital!
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