Friday, October 3, 2014

Chinese Lanterns

In a happy surprise, today's weather is much nicer than the forecast predicted (clouds).  Yet Gunnar and I are slogging through some deferred work from earlier in the week.  In my heart I agree with Nathaniel Hawthorne, who said,

I cannot endure to waste anything
so precious as autumnal sunshine
by staying in the house.

May we finish quickly and move on to more pleasant things!

In the meantime, I'm bringing in as much fall color as I can, against the darker days to come.  I love these Chinese Lanterns that grew right next to the front porch, and somehow escaped the marauding deer.


In the right light, they really do seem to glow :D



Even the ones that have begun to die are fascinating.




We will go pick more carrots, and more tomatoes.  These ones are finishing their ripening in the sunny front window.  (Bananas do the trick.  They give off a gas that helps the tomatoes.)


And what are you doing this fine, fall weekend?

7 comments:

The dB family said...

We have your weather. It's pouring. I am supposed to be editing photo sessions because we have two shoots to do tomorrow, but tomorrow's forecast doesn't look any better than today, so I am procrastinating.

My Chinese lanterns never amount to anything, and I can't even blame the deer. The leaves on the trees though. Ohhhh, I do love autumn!

Monica said...

Beautiful! God is so cool! He makes the best things for us to enjoy!
I had no idea bananas helped ripen tomaotes! Intersting!
Hope your weekend is as beautiful as ours is forcasted to be.

Sara McD said...

Last year my kids found some of those, crushed them open, discovered some dusty looking thing inside, poured water over it, and the dusty things began to wiggle. So. Is that typical?

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Deborah - I planted these years ago, promptly forgot about them, and for years pulled them out thinking they were weeds. Either they REALLY like our climate, or I got some VERY hardy variety!

Monica - yep. It's ethylene. And it would probably be better if I put them all in a paper bag in the sun - because the warmth is good, but the sun can make the skins tough.

Sara - worms? I have no idea! Off to squish one of mine and see what happens...

Choate Family said...

Beautiful colors! I love how you find beauty in all of the things that God made :-)

Sara McD said...

I was just informed that they are only things that look similar to the japanese lanterns but aren't the same thing. Whew!

melanie said...

Yes! to Fall :D Your little Samaria is looking tremendous as well!

Aren't you so scientifically SMART about putting bananas amongst the green tomatoes?!