The flowers are made from shaved wood, like large versions of the shavings you get when you sharpen a pencil. They are a local specialty of that area, and the vendors' booths are set up just as you enter the town. Sadly, I could not bring any home with me. My luggage situation was not ideal, and I had no room to spare. But next time I will plan ahead so that I can get some! Mnwsgal, our perennials are also still looking really nice and the fall seems to be lingering in a benevolent way. But now it looks like we have a winter storm arriving on Monday. So I had better get out there this weekend and at least get the ball rolling on the fall cleanup. I'm sure it will feel good once I get started on it, right?

I'll buy a house within a block or two, and we'll all gather at Cindee's for coffee and pastry... we'll gab about plants and gardening, take a dip in the pool if it's really hot, and order a quick pizza to feed the guys because we've been too busy gabbing about flowers all day to cook a meal! We can all take turns playing coffee klatch hostess, help each other with garden projects, day-trip to botanical gardens and greenhouses, and exchange recipes for quick one-pot meals to feed the guys because we're ALWAYS too busy talking plants to cook a real meal! Wouldn't that be fun?! It's a nice dream, but doubtful that Larry could ever be dragged that far south... unless... I could try to convince the kids that they all need to move to Florida!

Terribly cold. But the brugs in the basement are blooming like crazy, even though their leaves are turning yellow. By the way, I don't think that these are any "special" brugs. They are all yellow singles. All the same. I was really surprised to learn that my friend here is planning to cut the brugs (when?? don't know) and then she will stand the sticks in a bucket with a few inches of water. Imagine, she does not change the water all winter!!!!She says that in the springtime, there is always an abundance of roots, ready to be planted, or given away. In other words, what I'm saying is that these brugs don't receive the tender loving care that "we" give ours, and I have read about overwintering of brugs, on this forum, and learned a lot. Sorry, folks, there won't be any pictures of local plants. Everything is covered with a blanket of snow. Also, my camera is my cellphone which I can't use or charge here. Lucy, Oktoberfest is during the last two weeks of September because the weather usually is warmer then. So, I missed that. But I'll still drink some Munich beer to your health! Thanks for your replies to my original post. They made me happy. Starting to miss the California sunshine....... Ingrid.

IMHO a coffee table book is one of those oversize picture books for adults. you know the kind that feature huge photos of Antarctic glacier cruises, or full color art lay outs of front doors of Boston. Stuff you can leaf through as the other people in the room are discussing the major and minor points of your personal faults. They show that you like things other than sports, cars, motor cycles, and gardening. There are coffee table book on all these subjects too. I use them to keep me entertained while I wait for my guests when they are 2 hours late to the dinner party. They are heavy too so I can't jump around in anger :-) because I would rather be in the garden poking around. CloneZero