The Whole Kit(ten) and Caboodle of Fall

It's going to be 82 degrees today.  This makes me rather cranky, because in my mind, late October should mean cozy fires, flannel sheets, hot cocoa, and sweaters.  Well, I'm keeping the faith, because the forecast for Saturday shows a high of 59 and a low of 33!  So I'm going to enjoy this warmer weather while I can.

At least the garden is responding to our increasingly colder nights.  We're ju-u-u-ust starting our flower blooming season.  Our gardenia bushes are blooming again. 

Our camellias...not the big, droopy, peony-like ones, but the smaller, delicate ones...are blooming, too.

Hostas are shooting up flower stalks.

Our front japonica bushes are just starting to unfurl the round orbs that will eventually turn into big black berries.

And oh, the fall leaves!  I love living in the woods!

To borrow a phrase from Karen Carpenter:  "[They've] only just begu-u-u-u-u-un..."

The berries are all turning...

And the turkeys are back!

Our town just had their annual hot air balloon festival, too.  It's small, but we love watching the colorful patterns drifting over us.

The cats are loving the prolonged warm weather, too.  Whether hanging out on the back deck...

...chillaxing in the warmth of the sun room...

...or generally making themselves comfortable wherever...

...they know how to enjoy life!

I hope you have time to slow down a little this week, too.  Enjoy the extended fall!