Monday, October 26, 2015

Autumn Berries


R.H. predicts a severe winter here in Tennessee.

Why?

Because our shrubs and vines are loaded down with berries.


Maybe he's right.

All I know is that I love clipping them for the house.


Even a tiny bouquet goes where I stack dishes to dry.


I mix them in with flowers from the grocery store too.


I break up a big bunch of grocery store flowers to use all around the house.



These Gourmet Cookbooks, Vol. I & II,
were a gift from my firstborn.



One was FREE, and he bought the other online.

Do any of you have McCay's Bookstores in your area?
Our son always finds me the best books out front in the FREE bins!

But this Gourmet Cookbook was his best find yet.

Here's a 1932 children's storybook he found too.


One stalk of orange lilies ended up on my bed table to add a touch of October orange.


The lovely month of October is almost over.


We'll soon be turning October's calendar page.


Isn't this a cute October house?

My daughter gives me these calendar refills every Christmas
to put on a little easel. 

Before we can take a breath, January will be here.
Will it be a severe winter, do you think?

How are the berries on your shrubs and vines?

34 comments:

  1. I enjoy the autumn berries too, and they do seem extra plentiful this year on trees and shrubs. Will we have a severe winter? R.H.'s prediction is as good as any. I have not heard of McCay's book stores, but I love that they have free books. I ordered an old cookbook on Amazon recently and expect it's arrival any day; it's a companion to one I bought for very little at the library's back room. Do I need another cookbook? No, but I sure will have fun looking through it when it arrives.

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  2. There are lots of berries on our shrubs, but those-in-the-know are predicting a particularly mild winter here due to a strong El Nino. Who knows? Your little bouquets make for sweet touches all around the house.

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  3. Oh, I love those berries and vines scattered about your house. Who needs store bought flowers? Take care
    hugs, Latane

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  4. I like this post, except for its prognostication within. I sure hope winter is mild, I so dislike it. I have hydrangeas blooming, which is a bad thing, as mine push next year's buds on old growth. With the temperamental weather of fall, the plants get confused. My nandinas always have lots of berries, as do my hollies, so hopeful neither of those are good gauges. Your arrangements are simply beautiful, Dewena.

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  5. The autumn berries are beautiful. I love the calendar on the easel too. We don't have that bookstore here. xoxo Su

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  6. Oh, I LOVE the berries and the cookbooks and the adorable calendar! We are definitely kindred spirits! :-) I don't like R.H's prediction for your winter though...unless you like lots of snow. I'm hoping the El Nino weather predictions are correct for my area of Nebraska--warmer temps than normal and less precipitation. Maybe I should just move to Arizona! Ha!

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  7. We are loaded here, too, Dewena, and I have heard that also--gonna be a tough winter. Last year was awful here-long and spring took forever to arrive. Hope we don't have another one like that this year.

    Those books are fabulous. I have never heard of McCay's. Your son did GOOD! xo Diana

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  8. Oh, how interesting. I noticed that one of our trees has an awful lot of berries. I'm hoping R.H. is wrong, but something tells me that he knows what he is talking about. Isn't it something how just a flower or two here and there can perk up any space! Great books!

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  9. I do so hope its not a rough winter for those in those climates! we dont have that bookstore here but we do have books a million and barnes/noble. Oh, and the good ole library! LOL I love all your little flower bouquets......so very pretty!

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  10. Lovely photos...amazing that the lily was still blooming unless you haven't had your first freeze yet. I I have 2 bushes that have berries but I never really noticed if they have more one year than the other. One is a barberry and I just notice all of the damn thorns! :)

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  11. Berries are such little bits (and bites!) of beauty, aren't they? All your bouquets are pretty, Dewena, but the very first one, with those two single branches, softened with fading green leaves and dotted with little clusters of juicy, red jewels, is my favourite for its earthy simplicity. The muddy marble(?) back drop adds such depth - I know it isn't Christy's gift, as that is round (and granite), and this is definitely rectangular or square, but I know you don't have a marble backsplash either, so this is quite mysterious, and thus, your own mini, Mona Lisa masterpiece!!;)) Am awaiting to be enlightened and finally smile, just like da Vinci's diva!

    Now, if R.H. predicts a severe Tennessee winter due to heavily berried trees, I believe him! Hmm... I wonder if trees bogged down with berries symbolize that heavy snowfalls are on the way...If there is any connection, then we're also due for a doozy of a winter here in the greater Toronto area - I've never noticed so many berried branches in the past! Thanks for sharing your own ambient abundance.

    xoxo
    Poppy

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    Replies
    1. Poppy, R.H. is glad you asked as this was his idea!

      It was a sample piece of the charcoal Vermont Slate that we installed on all of the buildings in Reba's compound. I'm glad you think it added depth as that was what we were going for!

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  12. That is a precious Oct. House!! Complete with sparkles. And one can never have too many sparkles!!!

    Love the old ways of judging a coming winter, by what Nature shows. :-)

    Don't know about around here..... Will have to look.

    Pumpkin hugs,
    Tessa

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  13. if i were an artist i would try to paint that first picture. it's a perfect still life.
    perfect.
    and the idea of little vignettes with fresh flowers throughout the house...
    and even better that they're rescued from the grocery store... well...
    it's simply YOU. and simply lovely. especially the tiny calendar on an easel!

    i like that nature is concerned for the little birds and maybe still a few bears...
    who both need those berries if it's to be a hard winter! the bears to fill before sleep... and the little feathered creatures that survive always... despite horrendous weather!
    it makes me feel better for them!
    this was an absolutely beautiful post. dsm.
    XOXO♥

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  14. October has truly
    been a blessing,
    hasn't it? I hate
    to see it go.....

    xo Suzanne

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  15. I loved all the little berries tuck here and there. I am hoping for a mild winter here in Indiana. The paper said last week as strong El Nino meant a mild winter for the Indy area...sure do hope so. LOL Blessings, xoxo,Susie

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  16. I don't have anything that has berries. We're still in shorts here. Or at least I am.
    Brenda

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  17. I guess mother nature , in her infinite wisdom, is providing for the living creatures in preparation for a long, hard winter. I actually heard the winter here in massachusetts will be milder than last year. As for me, I don't care much since we will be in Florida :).

    The pictures, especially the first one, look like paintings . They're quite beautiful in their simplicity dewena. I wish I knew how to paint, because for certain that first one would be my muse.

    I haven't heard of that bookstore, so it's safe to say we don't have them in the northeast, but free is good for sure!

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  18. Love love your photos - you are an artist! We don't have a McCay's bookstore out here that I know of. Usually by now we have had our first snow in the mountains. Today we hit 70 and I'm leaving soon for a walk around the lake. We got quite a bit of rainfall during the year here in So Cal mountains - and the opinions are varied whether we will get a lot of snow. Right where we are since I've lived here we never get more than 6" at a time which i love.

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  19. Dewena
    What a lovely post - so nice to use berries at this time of year to decorate the home.
    But where has October gone to ... well almost gone! The days pass so quickly.

    Enjoy the last few days of this month.

    All the best Jan

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  20. Dewena, I can't help but love your posts every time I visit. Yes, October is almost over, it's such a fun month. About the upcoming winter.......I hear we are supposed to have great storms here in California, and we really need the rain. Your orange lily is perfect for October. Lillies always remind me of my niece, Lillie. : ) This 1932 children's book and the cookbooks are quite a treasure. Do you know that I collect children's books, love them so much. What a great idea to pick the Autumn berries for your home. I can just see them all around your charming house.

    Happy Halloween week.

    love, ~Sheri

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  21. I love your way of thinking---bringing what we have outdoors inside and dividing up those pretty bouquets. They are always too big for my small spaces anyway. I really love the surprise of a single flower in a bud vase in the bathroom or on a night table.

    Happy Fall! :)

    Jane x

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  22. Well, I had to go look up the winter forecast. According to weather.com, the northern half of the country will be warmer than usual, the southern (inc. Tennessee) will be cooler. My friend in NC says the squirrels are busy, busy storing nuts, which she thinks makes for a colder winter. My guess is that RH's predictions are pretty spot on.
    In any case, your berries and flowers are lovely.

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  23. Hi,
    You are right, October went so quick. We had beautiful weather in Wisconsin for October.
    I love your calendar.
    I hope for highs in the 20's and lots of snow! I am xc ski girl, I need snow. ;-)
    Carla

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  24. No berries, here, boo! They add such charm to your decor. I am hoping for a mild winter, then again, I have no control, so I guess I will try to enjoy whatever Mother Nature whips up!! ;)

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  25. Dewena,

    What a savvy idea to incorporate nature's bounty of berries into your Fall Florals!
    Living in Texas not many berries, only those of you blessed souls that have a true Fall get to harvest them-we have brown!
    xo
    Jemma

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  26. Pretty flowers and old books....oh how I love them! We've never seen so many Fall wildflowers here in Florida as we have this year. The fields are blooming! Hugs!

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  27. Well, by now you may have noticed how I love the LITTLE things ... little flowers, little houses, little prince (teehee). No signs of berries in my coastal neck of the woods ... well, not in my garden or surrounding grounds, but I purchase them at the farmer's market and add them to my flowers too.
    I predict a warm winter. This from a dreamer though. ;) However it turns out, I'll be sure to send some Florida sunshine your way.

    Thank you so much for the birthday wishes, bloggy friend, and for your kind words.
    xoxo

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  28. Hi Dwena, I haven't noticed an over abundance of berries in Chicagoland, but the Spruce trees are tipping over for the amount of huge long pinecones they are carrying. They haven't opened yet, but my goodness the trees are loaded, without my glasses it looks like a blight on the top branches.

    So who knows, predictions are basically bones thrown in the air, I think, LOL.
    Thanks for the interesting post! Sandi

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  29. I love fresh flowers all through the house. Our rosebush has been loaded down with blooms...cold winter? Won't bother me one single bit! :-) Love the vintage books and no, I cannot believe that October is almost gone....soon, it will be Christmas and then the start of a New Year!! Love and hugs to you Dewena!!

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  30. More berries than I can count, actually. I have a feeling we'll be getting more snow this year and I don't know why, it's just a feeling. When I first moved here we had a ton and the same with the next, but the last two brought barely any and was such a disappointment for me. But this year I have hope and hope is what keeps me going with the coming of the snow season and the coming of a new year :)

    love to you,
    rue

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  31. Oh and I forgot to comment on the books and your photographs.... lovely! You know I love old books and you really have a wonderful eye, Dewena.

    xoxo

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  32. What great photos today. I am crazy about berries. You are lucky to have them right around your house to add to your flowers. I love the McKay's in Knoxville. I try to get there every time I'm in Tennessee. I stock up on decorating books then next time turn them in and get more. It's so much fun to go there and search out books.

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  33. I believe it's going to be a brutal winter and am almost finished preparing for it. Full propane tank, full oil tank, chimney cleaned and 3 loads of black locust wood with a couple more to be delivered. Yep, I'm close to being ready!
    There are tons of berries and fruit for wildlife and the latest storm brought me a fighting cock. Sad really, he sits on the barn gate and crows; p'raps he's missing his mates because his crow sounds so lonely.

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