I’m so grateful for the recent rain and cooler weather. It’s looking more like autumn around here, which gives me some new energy to cross things off my “To Do” list.

As Shep and I walk around the yard each morning, I inspect my camellias, watching the buds swell, and rejoicing when I see a new one open. The top photo shows a cluster of buds from my front camellia japonica. And below, you see one of the flowers. I’ll have more varieties in bloom as the season moves on.

My camellia sasanqua has been lovely also. The buds show pink, but you only see hints of it on the frilly white blossoms. A collage doesn’t do the details justice, so I’m showing 3 photos of this shrub.

I’m still not sold on Encore azaleas. True to their name, they give an encore performance several times a year, particularly in spring and fall, but it’s always a weak showing with mine. You see sparsely distributed amethyst and white blooms here, and my red one has also bloomed recently.

The pansies are starting to bloom, but I’ve had to replant some after some intruder dug them up.  I think it’s probably a stupid armadillo looking for grubs or something. It could also be a cat that has taken to our yard, but that would mean it’s using my flower bed for a litter box. Shep stays in the house most of the time, but when he goes out, the scent of these intruders drives him crazy.

There are lots of buds on this forsythia at the back of our tool shed. The leaves are turning yellow which gives a bit of fall color around that corner. It’s really too big for this spot, so I may have to eliminate it after it blooms in the early spring.

This pink lantana didn’t do well over the summer, but it has finally decided to bloom beneath my hot pink knockout rose.

I know I end with this rose bush pretty often, but it is such a dependable bloomer that I usually have to share another one of its flowers. It looks like I’ll have them into December again this year.

As we head into December, the Advent season, and the close of the year, I pray that it will be a meaningful time for you. Instead of the Christmas rush, which adds to our stress, focus on the small wonders. Simplify your expectations. Attend a choir concert. Call a far-away friend to catch up. Forgive a family member. Enjoy a new recipe or restaurant. Make a donation to a children’s charity. Look for grace-filled moments that could only be a God-thing. He’d love to surprise you.

Shalom, Dottie