Welcome Back Home, Hawthornes!

Sunday morning, October 16, 2011. The Hawthornes have been on the road for a week. We are both still in one piece, though perhaps a bit frayed round the edges. A situation in which you need a rest from the vacation. We're tired. We traveled from Asheville to Raleigh on Saturday and I finally got a freebie hotel room thanks to the capricious Choice Privileges Reward program, which I ain't even gonna bother to link to. We left early Sunday morning for the Outer Banks and Home.

Sailboat at Alligator River Bridge.

Mr. Hawthorne and I always bet each other whether or not the drawbridge at Alligator River is going to be open Usually we have to wait as a sailboat/pleasure boat a mile away hails the bridge-master to open up and stops no telling how many cars coming on to and going off the beach.

This time was no exception.

Home. Sweet Home. Welcome to Rosie's Garden.

Hellooooo, my little pretties! Rosie has missed her rosies.

See my little "river of glass" in the background?

Mr. Lincoln is one of my favorite roses.

My herb garden. Still need to find some rosemary, marjoram, and sorrel.

Found this volunteer tomato.

Castor bean plant coming back after Irene. Quite the hardy plant. Plus I love the color in my garden.

Turnip greens.

Mustard greens.

Collards.

Kale.

Scallions.

Radishes.

Ruellia.

Shamrocks and climbing nastursiums that aren't climbing yet.

Gerbera daisies.

Parsley. I ALWAYS have parsley. Year-round. Somewhere.

Planted rye on the pathway which used to be pine needles. It will become pine needles again in the heat of summer.

Ruellia.

Determined castor bean.

Purple and white allysum. I heartily recommend this little plant for an edging around a garden bed. It germinates quickly, grows vigorously, and blooms throughout the season. It's drought-tolerant. It also reseeds quite nicely.

Persistent castor bean.

Tiny delicate allysum blossoms.

Parsley.

Before Rosie left town, she steam-cleaned her floors and Swiffered them with nice smelly, shiny stuff. Steam-cleaning involves moving all the furniture, so Rosie took this opportunity to re-arrange said furniture - going from my summer setting to my winter setting when I have to bring in all my house plants. Rosie was really looking forward to coming home to a clean home.

While on our trip, I kept mind of this new living space I'd created and was on the lookout for two items in particular. I found them both. #1: I wanted another cow hide. I already have two. One serves as a rug. The other as a throw on a bone-colored very comfortable sink-in easy chair. Mr. Hawthorne sits in that chair to watch TV. Not once has he straightened the hide after getting up from that chair. As soon as he cedes the chair, I immediately go and straighten the hide. Does he not see a messy hide? Does he see it and just not care? This is a guy thing, right? #2: I wanted a carved plant table to match a three-tiered table I already had. The "summer sofa" used to be across the slider. Now I have it facing the fireplace, perpendicular to the slider - ready for plants when I have to bring them in. I put my new brindley cow hide on the floor and my new table is in front of the slider.

I have a mirrored-tiled plate on my table which reflects the afternoon sun in lovely ways.

I like my bear and raccoon. Does the hide look like Garfield to you?

This is my three-tiered plant table that I wanted to match the long table with. This is my "summer table" with no plants, since they're outside.

See? Table matchey!

Sad little ming aralia I need to transplant. I love the variegated number in the stand at right. Mar, can you tell me what that is? I love the lines. Very fluid. ETA: Thanks, XKT. It's variegated dracena.

It's so good to be home.