Our new taxidermist-friend has been putting a lot of time and effort into designing our diorama.  He's an interesting fellow, very intelligent, detail-oriented and persnickety (all qualities I greatly value!) about his work.  I'm getting excited to see it all come together!

The best part is that he took those icky bird skins out of my freezer and home with him....

I was wrong.

There.  I said it.  I hope Kim is happy.

Last fall when Kim got ready to take in the plants before the frost, I told him not to mess with this fern.  It had been beautiful, but I know from past experience that a winter inside (unless you have a greenhouse, which we don't) pretty much ruins the lush fullness of a fern and you end up with a scraggly, ugly plant.

He didn't listen to me.  (Imagine that!)  And this spring he brought out the fern, just as scraggly and ugly as I knew it would be, and put it on the porch.

I protested and insisted that we would give it one chance to redeem itself and he trimmed it down to the bare fern nubbins, cutting off all the fronds.  It was ugly for a week or so, and then it began sending out new growth.

Look at it now.  It's gorgeous!!!

And now it's time to take it back inside for the winter before the first frost....

Speaking of the first frost, Kim (who knows a lot about such things) tells me it can happen any time.  Where we live, the first frost happens between September 15 and October 15.  We're right at the halfway mark between the two, so it can't be too long now.

In many ways I'm so ready for the frost to end the growing season.  It's been a good one, a crazy-busy one, and this gal is ready for a restful fall and winter.

But it's hard saying bye-bye to the beautiful flowers I've so enjoyed all summer long.

Hope you get outside and savor a few this lovely fall weekend...they'll soon be gone for another year!