Life in the Bristolwood

Ewwww…WHO actually *likes* spiders? Well, I am sure there is someone somewhere that does, but to me, they are a bit too “creepy”! This handsome specimen had spun a nice web with one tangent connecting from atop my mother-in-law’s house to a rhrododendron bush. The spider’s web was centered at about eye level and it was just sitting there awaiting some juicy insect to fly by! My mother-in-law grabbed a long stick to remove it, and I bravely volunteered to do it for her. I knocked it down, and the spider grabbed hold of the stick. As I walked down the driveway, the happy little critter danced right on up the stick….before it got too close (about 4′ away from MOI!) I tapped the stick on the ground, bumping the hitchiker off, and he scurried away. Happily, he headed for new grounds!

After being totally creeped out by the spider caper, we went on to much happier things…like the

Hydrangea bush. My mom had bought me a Hydrangea last year, and I planted it outside. The poor little bush was so tiny, and my mother-in-law mentioned in passing that the bushes need acid soil. After using Miracid on the plant, it grew a lot bigger within a short period of time. My mother-in-law was showing me her bush when we looked down low, and there was a bract of flowers just beginning to bloom!

I love those blue flowers with the pink tinge in the centers. They are so pretty! My mother-in-law lives near the city, but has such a nice place. There are old and very big oaks growing there, and I so enjoyed her yard . As I listened, I heard the chickadees making their little happy chirps above my head. This time of the year, they don’t make the typical “chick-a-dee-dee-dee” sound, but a short chirp, sounding as though saying, “hurry, hurry, the winter is coming!” I also spotted a pair of hairy woodpeckers. The male’s little red “cap” on his head was so outstanding as he landed on the dark bark of an oak tree.

We stopped at a Bruegger’s Bagels and there was one section of their landscaping that was so stunning. It was a Holly bush with cranberry colored Mums planted next to it. I snapped a picture (hurriedly….we were running late for an appointment) but the colors look so faded….

It is funny how colors can set moods…these plantings just gave such a sense of “Christmas” with the reds and greens. It sure was pretty! Oh, and speaking of pretty! While I was outside taking pictures the day I was sick, I took this one of the Wild Asters.