Taming of the Vine

It's October, and the winds are changing. At night, in most areas of the country you're feeling that autumn chill, the leaves are turning ripe harvest colors of warm pumpkin, cinnamon, and honey, and the smell of homemade soups and chili's fill the air of almost every household. Yes, fall is upon us, a time for hay bale rides, fall festivals, harvest parties, mums, pumpkins, fallen leaves, trick-or-treaters, and decorating.

Confession: I have rarely decorated for fall. When we lived in Texas, there didn't seem to be a "fall" season, and even though the stores carried pumpkins, those were mostly for carving, as the temperatures could still be in the 90's, and pumpkins simply wouldn't keep.

Now that we live in New York, the change of seasons has inspired me to make a few decorating changes to the outside and inside of our 1920's bungalow, not before tending to the garden Scott and I planted in the yard this summer:

Now that everything has started to, or completely died back for the fall, I have been waiting to cut the Dahlia's and pull the bulbs, re-cut the bed, and lay hay over the root system of the new trees, all of this after I tame a wild grape vine growing in the corner.

So snip-snip, and it's gone - well, most of it anyway. And what better use for it than in a wreath perfect for my fall decorating ideas? I pulled it all out to the driveway, and got my tools ready: an old pot, a pair of scissors, twine, and time.

Eventually, after tying knots about 22 times, I ended up with something that resembled a small, but very green wreath.

So, now what? I know - the suspense! Scott, "Margaret", Melissa and I went to the market this morning and I decided to buy my decorating pumpkins. Slightly early, I know, but I am decorating our company's new development for a meeting Monday, and I thought a fall theme would fit the bill. So after the market, I spent the early afternoon shopping for fall accessories, faux winter berry garland, cornucopias, that kind of thing! So pumpkins, mums, and pansy's, square copper pots and faux winter berry garland leads us where?

Why this of course! Our very own pumpkin topiary, or pumpkin snow-man, as a neighbor boy riding his bike called it.

"What are you takin' pictures of?" he asked.

"My fall decor" I replied.

"Why did you make it look like Snowmen?" he wondered.

I shook my head - "They're not snowmen, they're topiary!"

"What's a topiary?" he questioned.

"Ummm, it's a plant that is trained to grow on an object, or an obelisk,"

"A who?" he interrupted.

"An obelisk - you know what, ask your mom ... she'll know!"

I sure hope he pronounces it obelisk.

And here we are: the end.