Bittersweet

We southerners covet bittersweet. After finding a nice stand of it once on a road trip to Tennessee, and trying to drag the sticky vines out of the undergrowth, haul it home, and only to find most of the berries in the bottom of my trunk, hence the name. Whatever your *garden shop wants to charge you for this lovely vine...pay it.

Oak Street Garden Shop for the win!

Dripping with Autumn Color

A stroll through Oak Street Garden Shop is a delight in the fall. So far, we still have very warm weather and now turning leaves, but this place is dripping with it. 

Bon dimanche

Escher Called...

Yesterday, I paid a visit to Oak Street Garden Shop in Crestline Village. While snapping pumpkins, I looked up and spotted the light and shadows. Without the blue sky and clouds to give the viewer a sense of place, this BW comes across as an M.C. Escher!

Asleep at the Wheel

The "guard cat" at Oak Street Garden Shop apparently has a poor work ethic. 

Hurry Up!

I am very grateful that all those years when I was responsible for buying, setting up and decorating our Christmas tree, that there wasn't this insane rush to get the tree up and house decorated by Thanksgiving. If I got it all done with a week or so to spare before Christmas, I patted myself on the back and had a glass of wine to celebrate. Christmas trees at Oak Street Garden Shop are standing tall and looking fresh. Better hurry!

Getting Corny

It's fall ya'll and I'm getting corny. Forgive me but there will be more!

Oak Street Garden Shop

115 Oak Street

Crestline Village

Birmingham Rouge - Better Late Than Never!

What was I thinking?  Summer's almost over and I've not posted ONE SINGLE WATERMELON SHOT!  Thank you Oak Street Garden Shop , in Crestline Village for having these nice ones in a RED bin!

Stop And Smell the Pansies

The Emmet O'Neal/Oak Street Graden Shop's Community Garden in Crestline is always buzzing. This sweet boy, stopped to take a sniff!

Birmingham Rouge - For Sale

Oak Street Garden Shop - Crestline Village

a great place to feather your nest!

Peter Piper Picked a Peck of ....

perfect pumpkins!

I waited as long as I could for the first, but not the last of the pumpkin photographs this season.  They come in so many fascinating colors and shapes now, I'm snapping them right and left!

Oak Street Garden Shop

Crestline

It's All In How You SEE It

Oak Street Garden Shop

" To have peace with this peculiar life; to accept what we do not understand; to wait calmly for what awaits us, you have to be wiser than I am"
M.C. Escher

BIg and Showy....Caladiums

Caladiums can be found all over Birmingham nestled under shade trees in the summer. They come in many colorful varieties, so today I'm sharing two.  I had a little spin through Billy Angel's Oak Street Garden Shop yesterday after physical therapy. It was a photographer's buffet as my friend Bob Crowe likes to say!

Today I'm joining the Project 64: Out of the Box.  I've been looking for something to get my creative juices flowing and this might do it. Each week another crayon is pulled from a box of 64 Crayola crayons. Our assignment is to find something that color and post it.  This week's color is ASPARAGUS.  I thought my top photo might just do the trick. Each week I'll post a new color photo right here. You can click on this link to  see all the other creative entries

The First...

but by no means, the last.  I dare someone to buy this gorgeous pumpkin and take a butcher knife to it.

Oak Street Garden Shop

An Orange Grows in Crestline

When I spotted this pretty little potted orange tree at Oak Street Garden Shop recently, I immediately thought of mon chère amie Jilly, who has not one but two fabulous Daily Photo blogs. She blogs from Monte Carlo and Menton, France. Menton is widely known for it's Fête du Citron. Have a look here and here, but my favorite photograph is here. A little bit of Menton right here in Birmingham!

The Grass is Always Greener

at the garden shop. Oak Street Garden Shop. These flats of fresh green grass were for sale yesterday. I'm not sure what exactly I'd do with them. Maybe I'll go back and ask Billy on Monday. ( I think it's a "spring thing"!)

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Yep, it's still raining. I've done the mushroom/toadstool thing. May I add that Serge Virot, my French mushroom expert, reports that he couldn't make a ruling on the species I posted here. That said, I guess we won't be picking any for a nice mushroom quiche!

Today, in the rain, I visited my friend Billy Angell's Oak Street Garden Shop and Market. I had to tuck my camera inside my rainjacket at times, but you know raindrops are a photographer's dream. Have a look. BTW, the header is courtesy of Billy's place as well!

Green Shutters

I spotted these aged to perfection green shutters at my friend Billy Angell's Oak Street Garden Shop in Crestline Village. They are all "peely" and crusty, but I like 'em a whole lot!!

Vidalias!

Say the word VIDALIA and southerners swoon! These are the sweetest onions you will ever put in your mouth and as with other regional favorites, we have figured out how to make everything from relish, bar-b-que sauce, and Vidalia onion tarts out of them. I found this box full of at the Oak Street Market, right next to Billy Angell's wonderful Oak Street Garden Shop. The sun coming in the window made them look like pure gold.

Shadow Series VI - At the Garden Shop

We had a little break from the Shadow Series this week but I'm not quite through.  Bear with me.   Today, is Part VI.  I'm including two photos since I couldn't make a decision. Quelle surprise! The top shot was taken at Oak Street Garden Shop in Crestline Village.  I liked the background shadows in this one.  The bottom photo was taken at Sweet Peas Garden Shop in Homewood. The shadows on the orchid I thought were nice.

PARIS BLASTOFF.......... Two weeks from TODAY!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

(Do I need to start packing?)