Wooly Worms - A Sign of Winter!

~ While out walking my country roads latey,

I've seen so many wooly worms on the road. 

I remember these from when I was a kid. 

I hadn't given much thought to the

wooly worms in years until recently. 

wooly worm (Pyrrharctia isabella)



~ I could not remember much about the wooly worm.

So, I did a little research and found out

that using wooly worms (Pyrrharctia isabella)

to predict winter is an old American folklore that

traces its history back to early Americana.

~ Supposedly, Native Americans taught the

pioneers to read wooly worms to predict Winter weather.

Wooly worm is the common name for the larval

stage of the Isabella Tiger Moth.

They are also called wooly bears.

~ You can find wooly worms under rocks,

inside hollow logs or just crawling on the ground. 

I've also seen them on the side of my house

on the window ledge outside and crawling on the overhead garage doors,

they just seem to be EVERYWHERE!

~ When you see a wooly worm, pay attention to its bands of colors.

The wooly worm will curl into a ball when touched or threatened.

When they crawl, they can crawl very quickly!

~ Wooly worm forecasters say that the size of

the brown band of color will tell you

what kind of Winter is coming.

~ Legend says that the thinner the brownish red bands,

the harsher the winter will be.

If the wooly worm is mostly brownish red in the middle, Winter will be mild.

~ The wooly worms I've seen seem to have a rather large brownish red band in the middle so that would indicate a mild Winter (can you say YAY?)

~ Wooly worm enthusiasts claim an 85 percent

success rate over the last few decades.

Scientists tend to disagree and say wooly worm

weather prediction is as unscientific as using

groundhogs to predict Winter weather.

The groundhogs likely side with the wooly worms.

~ Whether or not you believe in the power of wooly worms,

they can be to look at for children and adults.

~ Thanks for stopping by ~

♥

~ Lisa ~

Rose of Sharon

 ~ I'm SO excited.... and over what you ask? 

FREE STARTS of perennials... but not just any perennial. 

~ It's "ROSE OF SHARON". 

click on any picture for closure view

I borrowed this picture because this is how I

will trim my "Rose of Sharon" bush once they start growing. 

~ In May, Kevin and I eloped to Gatlinburg, TN.

It was a great honeymoon, we were both a bit nervous at

times but we DID IT and we did it here!

We said our vows in the beautiful gardens,

it was Spring and the garden was in full bloom.

~ While we were in Tennessee, we both fell in love with the "Rose of Sharon" bushes blooming everywhere.  But it wasn't until we visited The Biltmore in Ashville, NC., that I knew I would eventually have some "Rose of Sharon" at

my little yellow home in the country.

~ As soon as we were back home after our honeymoon,

I had an appointment to get my hair cut. 

I was telling my wonderful friend and

beautician/hair dresser, Christa,

about my love for the "Rose of Sharon" bushes.

~ Christa then told me that in the Fall, she would give

me starts off of her "Rose of Sharon" bushes. 

I was so excited.  I was going to buy some bushes but if I could just wait,

I could be blessed and get some for free.

♥ Meet Christa ♥

Christa 

Christa is also an Avon Representative in Greenwood, IN

if you are interested in purchasing Avon,

please click on her name and it will take you directly to her link.

~ Christa is from Germany and like a dear friend to me....

she said once Fall came, she would give me some starts....and well,

we all know how much I love a bargain.  I'm Ms Thrifty

(just in case you can't tell from reading my blog posts) 

~ So...yesterday, I had an appointment with Christa and truthfully,

I had forgotten it was Fall and time for transplants....

but when I walked in, she had

sitting and waiting for me.... 5 starts for bushes. 

~ After my appointment was done,

Christa took me out to see her yard.   

I absolutely fell in love with her back yard.

She has so many "Rose of Sharon" bushes in her yard.

She is going to give me some more but for now,

with the ground so dry, it's pretty hard to dig and

get any starts so I am VERY happy with my first 5

starts that she so very generously, gave to me. 

~ Here is a picture of my little starts. 

All I need to do now is plant them, water and care for them

and have patience because they will one day grow into

beautiful bushes and then I too, can pay it forward and pass along starts.

 I was blessed and given 5 starts,

but look at them and how far we

have to go before they will be beautiful bushes. 

I love that I will get to care for these as babies and watch them grow up.

The following is a little information on "Rose of Sharon"

The Rose of Sharon is a shrub that is hardy in harsh conditions.

This perennial can withstand dry areas in your yard,

next to the driveway and is a

great row plant between neighbors.

You can plant in a slight shady area,

they don't flower as well as they should

and could if they were exposed to more sunlight.

Though it works well without much watering and attention,

during dry spells you should give it a thorough watering,

especially the first year they are planted.

It is recommended to trim them back in early spring

to keep them from becoming stemmy.

This will produce a bigger flower in the fall.

The Rose of Sharon blooms from July through

September and comes in a variety of colors

such as white, purple, pink and red.

This plant will add color to your garden

during those late summer dry months.

~ Thanks for stopping by ~

♥

~ Lisa ~

* I had to edit this post and make a correction because as I went out to plant these,
I discovered I had 5 starts and I thought I only had 3... woo hoo.

Still Blooming

~ I'm loving the cooler temperatures (FINALLY).

~ Some of the leaves are starting to fall but several of my flowers are STILL BLOOMING. 

~ We've already bought apples and carmel dip and are

 enjoying them in the evenings after dinner.

~ Mmmmm... apples are always abundant in Fall...and they smell so delicous.

 ♥

~ Fall IS just around the corner.

~ My geraniums are doing better now...than they have all year...

click on any photo for closer view

I love geraniums, next year, I will have pink instead of red. 
I love how the red color pops out against our yellow house though.

I love the deep vibrant purple of the clematis growing next to our garage,
I have plans next year to build or buy a white  lattice trellis
for the clematis to grow on.

Right now, I use a small green fencing. 

click on picture to see the butterflies



Yesterday, I went out to get the mail and there were small butterflies all over my live-forevers. 
I don't know what they are really called but that is the nickname for them,
they start blooming just about NOW.

I got these starts from my cousin last year. 
I love free starts from perenials.

Perenials are maintenance FREE and come back year after year.

I'm getting ready to get several starts of the
"rose of sharon" bushes from the lady who cuts my hair. 
They grow in shade or sun.  YAY ♥
She has every color you can think of.



I thought it was time to hang my Fall wreath.
So I dusted if off and hung it up.
 
I had to improvise (with a magnet and chain)
until I can get to the store to buy a new wreath hanger. 
(mine broke as I was changing wreaths)



I also changed out my front porch Summer welcome sign to my Fall welcome sign. 
I have 3, one for Summer, Fall and Christmas. 
I need a few more (don't you think?)  (Giggling here).


~ Thanks for stopping by ~
♥
~ Lisa ~

Sweet Smell

~ There is absolutely nothing better than the sweet smell

of sun dried sheets fresh off the clothesline.

~  And what's more, this "solar drier" will also help me save energy!

~ It was time to change the sheets. 

Instead of switching to my other set,

I just decided to wash the current sheets and put them back on the bed.   

~ Usually, I can't hang sheets outside because it's so windy. 

The wind just blows them right OFF the clothesline onto the ground.

~ We sometimes call our home "Windy Acres"....

as you can see, there is nothing to BLOCK

the West wind or the North or South wind :o)



Click on picture for closer view



It looks as though the sheet is dragging the ground but it isn't. 

Now, I have to finish hanging the rest of the sheets....so I need to go. 

It's so nice out and NOT windy,
maybe I will wash the mattress pad as well.
Oh that sweet, sweet smell. 



~ Thanks for stopping by ~

♥

~ Lisa ~

Wild Life around The Little Yellow Home in the Country

~ I love catching photos of the wildlife around our area.  Our 2 favorite photos so far are the red head woodpecker and the owl.  We could of had one of a skunk Kevin trapped in a cage but I passed on that one.  Maybe next time, I'll get brave. 

Not a very good picture.... he was swinging and moving as I took this shot.

He was so big, he cast a shadow over the
 room when he came to the feeder to eat.

Kevin snapped this picture,
he couldn't get to close or the owl would fly off.
The birds go crazy when Mr. Owl is around, they chirp LOUD and fast....
I would too if I thought I was going to be someones dinner!



Thanks for stopping by...
♥
~ Lisa ~

End Table(s) Re-Do and a Tour

~ These are 2 end tables I purchased {cheaply might I add} off of Craigslist recently.  I searched and searched to find the exact type of tables I wanted and.... if you wait long enough, God DOES answer prayers.

~ I stripped the tops, sanded...sanded...and ....sanded some more.  I then re-stained them with a medium oak stain and gave them 2 coats of polyurethane to protect the surface.  I removed the legs and sanded, primed and painted them and the base with colonial red.  I then distressed them with a mocha stain giving them an aged look.  They will be used in our extra room that we watch TV in or as we are calling it, our bonus/Patriotic room.  It's a small room but very cozy and the windows along the West wall provide such great light, our view is pine trees/cornfields. 

Before Pictures:  It didin't matter what color they were went I bought them,
they were going to be painted RED no mater what,
I just had to find the right style I wanted and make sure they were WOOD.

After Pictures:  The flash makes the table appear lighter than it is,

it is a deep red and I'm love...love...loving this color.

The top turned out fanstatic.... it should have, I used a lot of elbow grease on my sanding.

I have a placemat {that is Patriotic} that I will use on top

to help protect the finish {shhh... it's in the washer}

Remember these {earlier posting}...they now have a home to rest upon.

Wish I had a better camera to catch the beauty.
See my patriotic lamp on the table or some of it anyway?

Side view ~ I'm loving this color ♥

I thought I would give you a quick tour of my room. 
I got this magazine holder at the thrift store for $2.99. 
I didn't have to do a thing to it. 
I ♥ it and the colors matched perfectly. 

Just a few of the things I've collected from garage sales/thrift stores/friends/family.... etc

This shelf is painted in the same paint as the end table...
it was my test to see if I liked the process I used... it passed.

My valances... no curtains for these windows... we can't cover up the beautiful country view!

These are made by http://www.parkdesigns.net/Scripts/PublicSite/
I purchased these from the General Merchantile store in Nashville, IN,
she stocks Park Designs products...

This is my favorite store. Guess what color the store is?
YELLOW.... see a picture below of the store below.

 It's so quaint...and wonderful to sit outside {or inside} and enjoy lunch.
I asked the owner if I could live here.... that's how much I L*O*V*E it.
♥
She is a charming woman, she owned several Dairy Queens in the past,
but she sold them all and bought this store and she said she works her fanny off.

It's my favorite store in the whole town! 

Here is a view of the a corner of the room... see the lazy boy... uh... that is NOT mine! 
I painted the walls a beige color after I did a knock-down texture on them.
{Another project I did.... that took lots of back breaking, elbow grease}
 ☺
100 year old walls can be imperfect but they are PERFECT now!
This shelf... also painted with the same paint I used on the end table, it was a garage sale find.
The flag {which is a heavy metal} and the eagle decoration came from the Antique Store.
Oh...and all the outlet covers which are wooden... done in the same process RED paint!

Yes... even a patriotic clock... it was originally $30 but got it for $11 on clearance at Staples. 
I refinished the clock in the same blue I used on the lamp and distressed the clock. 
It has a flag picture and that is what I like about it.
I had to get some BLUE in this room too. 

The bicentennial plate was a gift from my Mother in-law,
the glass candle holder which is red white and blue {thrift store find YAY} was only $1.99. 
The shelf is from a store in Nashville, the star was dark brown,
Kevin painted it ...{c'mon...what color}... RED the same color we used on the lamps,
the shelves, the end table and soon...
a cedar chest {another project} ☺

This is my little bench, {no not for time-out}...well maybe. 
I sat the remote on it to show the actual size, it's perfect to prop your feet up on...
set your iced tea or coffee on, set the remote on if I ever got it that is
{for some reason, it's always in someone else's hands when HE is home}. 
It was $20 from the antique store....and already painted the perfect colors.
It was a real steal....

I saw this in a magazine, "Terry's Village" I think it was, it was $7.99... so I purchased it. 

I couldn't resist... it was too cute!

Even the bird feeder just outside the window has some Patriotic decor.... 

And... let's not forget.... our Patriotic birdhouse, you can see this birdhouse

as you sit in our "Patriotic" room.  It is still for rent...

we have not seen any activity in it yet...

however, it was just hung last weekend.  {Thank you Kevin}

~ Thanks for stopping by..... hope you enjoyed the tour!

♥

~ Lisa ~