Friday, October 1, 2010

Summer's End

I recently came across the lyrics to a song on a beautiful blog called, "The House in the Roses," which is written by a lovely lady named Cielo. If you haven't discovered Cielo's enchanting pictures and stories, I hope you will visit her magical House of Roses. I'm sure it will become one of your favorite places.

The song I mentioned is called Summer's Almost Over, and was written by Cheryl Wheeler. I'd like to share these beautiful lines ...

Summer's almost over and I'm crying but I don't know why,
Sentimental old fool, weeping for this blue, blue sky,
And the way the cat is sleeping and the way the garden grew,
Wagging dogs who lick my face and the way I feel for you.

Who could help but welcome autumn and the promise of the winter snow?
Still there's something sweet and wistful as I watch this lovely summer go,
But the sun is sinking sooner and the weeds have won at last,
With the berries on the bushes and the crickets in the grass,
Oh, summer's almost over and I'm crying but I don't know why.

Isn't that lovely! Thank you, Cielo, for letting me share it here at Southern Lagniappe.

I would also like to share a few pictures I took yesterday afternoon while walking around in our yard. I was thinking about the lyrics to that song, and found several signs that mark the passage of summer.

These are the last two lingering blossoms on our Crape Myrtle trees ...

Our Sasanquas are loaded with buds ...

They will look like this when they open:

I love the way this little rosebud's tip looks as if it's been "squashed." It's probably one of the last roses we'll have.

I think the faded rose pods are pretty, too ...

I captured these leaves on a Sycamore tree whose branches hang over our back fence.

They're almost as big as a dinner plate and are so pretty in the tree, but when they start falling in the flower beds, they're not so pretty.

I just happened to look into our cobalt gazing ball and couldn't resist capturing the reflection of an iron arbor in it.

I like this shot of the fleur-de-lis finial on the arbor, too.

I'm not sure what these shiny black berries are. They are growing on a vine in a tree behind our fence, and look like little glass marbles.

My lagniappe for the afternoon came in the form of this little emerald green chameleon who was playing on my glass butterfly feeder (you can click on the pictures to see him up close, if you'd like).

I bent over to photograph a fading Lantana bloom and captured a little bit of serendipity instead.

These little guys will be leaving soon.

Farewell, little hummers — Godspeed!

" ... There's something sweet and wistful
as I watch this lovely summer go."


9 comments:

Deb said...

oh what a great post...I'm having a hard time letting go of summer...your photos are beautiful...and I love the words to the song...

PAT said...

Lovely words and gorgeous photos, Janie.

We saw beautiful myrtles on our road trip. Wish we had planted one or two here. J has a new berm started. Perhaps we will plant one there.

RachelD said...

I walked the yard and said a Good-Bye yesterday morning; the turn into today was from paling greens, still lush and hanging low, into the golden light of October, and I SO welcome it.

Bittersweet's flourish at this time of year is an apt name, for we look wistfully back, and hopefully forward.

And even little green-tailed creatures have a Sweet Tooth.

The Decorative Dreamer said...

Beautiful photos! I love photographing lizards they are so whimsical aren't they? He looks lovely on your bird feeder. I also really love the photo of the reflection of your arbor! It's just wonderful!

Anonymous said...

Gorgeous photos...as always ;o) Love the chameleon. My hummingbirds departed earlier this week. It has been kind of sad to look out at the feeder...it looks so lonesome.

Jenni said...

What a sweet tribute to the summer of 2010...

Love the pictures, you captured the fleeting, fading moments so well...especially the valiant little hummer, resting and eating before his long trek...

And what a dear, touching song... you have inspired me to post the lyrics to one of my faves on my own blog. As always, thanks!

The Quintessential Magpie said...

Beautiful, Janie... thanks so much for sharing these images of summer with us. I think we were having similar thoughts as I photographed the last vestiges of summer in our yard as well, though it still feels (temperature wise) that it's here! ;-)

Hope all is well with you. While I am still on break, I have been taking some time these last two days to thank you and the other sweet blog friends who covered us in prayer with Fred's surgery. He's doing much better, and I am so relieved. :-) I hope to be blogging again in a week or so, after I try and play catch up for a month lost!

XOXOXO,

Sheila :-)

CIELO said...

Beautiful post and blog with an enchanted garden.... thanks for the sweet remarks!

Blessings

cielo

Merisi said...

The lyrics and your gorgeous images create a rousing farewell to the past season and a very welcoming autumn impression!

Love the little critters you captured,
that Humming Bird is exquisite, as is the chameleon.

To a beautiful fall season,
Merisi