Shades Of Autumn...

Morning Visitors...

An almost chilly 46 degrees this morning, brought visitors to the garden.

The fawn is more adventurous than the mum.

She stands with her guard up at all times.

The Morning Glories continue to bloom, by noon they are long gone.

Vittles And Birthdays....

One of the pleasures unique to the South, is the Southern cuisine.

You can order a Rib-Eye steak, baked potato and salad most anywhere in the country, but ask for a bowl of pinto beans and buttermilk cornbread in our Northern states and you'll more than likely, receive a bewildered look, or a blank stare.

Southerner's love to cook "downhome" dishes. Chicken-fried steaks, mashed potatoes smothered in gravy, fried apples, sweet corn, pinto beans, accompanied by flaky homemade buttermilk biscuits, and all the ice-cold sweet tea you can drink.
Did I mention it has to be sweet ?

I do believe I have eaten every dish considered to be of Southern origin, and loved every one of them.

Here in middle Tennessee, our town holds the bragging rights as the home and founder of one the best restaurants in the South. Cracker Barrel - Old Country Store, Inc.
Cracker Barrel Old Country Store, Inc., is a chain of "Old Country Stores," each combining a retail store and a restaurant.

Company founder Dan Evins opened the first Cracker Barrel on Highway 109 in Lebanon in 1969. He wanted to create a business for travelers to stop for gasoline, a meal and some rest.

The Cracker Barrel chain serves traditional Southern comfort food. Their outlets have traditionally been located along interstate highways, though the company policy on this appears to be changing. Breakfast is served all day, though the breakfast menu is kept separate from the one for lunch and dinner.

The outer porch of a Cracker Barrel store has rows of rocking chairs for guests to enjoy before or after eating, and there is usually a fireplace and a checkers table within the dining area for an added country feel. The interior walls of the dining area are decorated with antiques such as photographs, advertisements, and household items.
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The retail store carries mainly nostalgic merchandise, collectibles, old time toys, classic candies, scented candles, and items used in making Cracker Barrel entrees. Also, a lot of merchandise sold at Cracker Barrel is holiday themed, depending on the time of year.

As of September 2009, the company, has 588 full-service locations located in 41 states in the United States, and was ranked as the top "family dining" chain for the 19th consecutive year in Restaurants Institutions magazine.

It is celebrating it's 40th year in business this year.

Upon returning from Iraq "The First Sergeant" had no sooner cleared the gates of Fort Campbell, Kentucky, when he suggested we all stop at The Cracker Barrel and eat lunch. It was the perfect "Welcome Home" comfort food, he had missed with a passion.

Ya'll come......hungry !

Nature's Way, All In A Day's Work....

I bring fresh showers for the thirsting flowers,
From the seas and the streams;
I bear light shade for the leaves when laid
In their noonday dreams.
From my wings are shaken the dews that waken
The sweet buds every one,
When rocked to rest on their mother's breast,
As she dances about the sun.
I wield the flail of the lashing hail,
And whiten the green plains under,
And then again I dissolve it in rain,
And laugh as I pass in thunder.

The Cloud ~Percy Bysshe Shelley

"Seize Your Chance At Happiness."...." 'Little Dorrit'

If you enjoyed the Masterpiece Classics, aired earlier this year on Public Broadcasting Service, you'll be delighted to know, that in celebration of winning 7 Emmy Awards, the Charles Dickens "Little Dorrit" will be aired online.

Amy Dorrit's (Claire Foy) gentle spirit has never been dampened by the confining walls of the Marshalsea Prison she's lived in her whole life.

Despite the dark shadow of debtor's prison, Amy lovingly cares for her father William Dorrit (Tom Courtenay), the longest serving inmate.

A possibly redemptive light unexpectedly shines in the form of Arthur Clennam (Matthew Macfadyen), who has been left with the intriguing threads of a mystery after his father's death — threads that will intertwine his family and fate with the Dorrits.

Clennam's exhaustive search for answers involves murder, fortunes gained and lost, the upper echelons and lowest dregs of society, and most surprising of all, a tender romance.

Adapted by Andrew Davies (Bleak House, Pride and Prejudice), Little Dorrit, based on the book by Charles Dickens, is a sprawling story as timely as it is moving.

MASTERPIECE was honored with seven Emmy Awards for Little Dorrit and now you can join in the celebration! For a limited time, Little Dorrit available for online viewing.

In addition to being recognized for outstanding miniseries, MASTERPIECE's Little Dorrit was honored in categories including: writing, directing, costuming, casting, art direction and cinematography.

"We're so pleased that Little Dorrit received all this recognition," says MASTERPIECE executive producer Rebeccca Eaton. "It's a series that does MASTERPIECE, the BBC — and Charles Dickens — proud."

A Little "Thank You" Sunshine....

Busily working away, the assistant manager and myself were knee deep in "auditing" yesterday.
A tedious, but necessary part of keeping the files in ship-shape order.
Just as the task seemed like an endless stack of manila legal folders the door opens and in popped the local florist lady.

Two beautiful vases filled with a single Red Rose, Gypsophlia, and LeatherLeaf Fern, nicely finished with a red bow.

A "Thank You" gesture from our manager, it was well-timed, and most definitely appreciated !


"Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves."
~Sir James Mathew Barrie (1860 - 1937)

Memories Of Summer....

Please click to enlarge

A New Garden Statue...

One of the purchases we made at the flea market this Sunday, was a new St. Francis of Assisi statue. Already finished with a beautiful verdigris patina.
I've placed him at the pond, a once favorite hang-out for my beloved cats, now at the Rainbow Bridge.
Just when the sun started shining....you guessed it !
More rain......




This particular birdbath has been filled naturally by nature's rainfall for the past two weeks.

The fungi and toadstools think all the rain is terrific. They are growing everywhere.




A little birdie told me, someone has been busy housecleaning....

Nature's Paintbrush.....

Can you believe it is raining still here in the Tennessee Valley !

I most certainly feel as if I'm back in England, where it rains almost everyday.

Of course the English rain is normally a soft, gentle rain, the kind where you can open an umbrella and continue with your business uninterrupted.
It's "nature's paintbrush" that makes the country so green and prolific.

Here in middle Tennessee this will be our fifth day on record for rain.

Lots of rain. In just three days, the rain gauge showed a total of nine inches, which some counties experiencing more.

Anything exposed to the elements with an unpainted wood surface, is now green, covered in liken.

I'm beginning to feel I may be next.....

Changing Seasons...

We made a trip up the road to the local flea market today, between rain falling....again.
There's no mistaking Fall is just around the corner, pumpkins , gourds, apples, cornstalks, all in abundance.



It's time to start decorating the front porch, leaf- swags over the front door, corn stalks on the columns, pumpkins, gourds, and chrysanthemums of all colors. Finishing with a huge wreath of berries and dried fruit.

Yes, it's time......

Dog Days....

Keeping My Wellies Close At Hand...

Looking out the door,
Wondering just how much more rain could possibly be in store......