Love, Joy and Peas: October 2016

Friday, October 28, 2016

Autumn Asters, Honey Bee and Capitol Columns at US National Arboretum

Happy floral Friday! Asters are one of the joys of autumn. I think this honey bee would agree.

This week at the U.S. National Arboretum the purple autumn asters are in full bloom.

The area by the capitol columns is a great place to view them.

The asters contrast nicely with the autumn foliage of nearby plants.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you this autumn and always!

Related posts:
Autumn bonsai tree foliage: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/10/autumn-bonsai-flowers-and-chrysanthemum.html
2013 Autumn bonsai foliage: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/autumn-bonsai-exhibit-at-us-national.html
Fall foliage at USNA: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/11/fall-foliage-at-us-national-arboretum.html

Wednesday, October 26, 2016

Cooper's Hawk for Wild Wednesday

Happy wild Wednesday! I'm excited to share what I think are our first Cooper's hawk photos.

Downward stare: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016
Used with permission

My husband spotted this beauty, called me over and we got to enjoy its majestic presence for a few minutes before it flew off.

Wild bird gaze: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016
Used with permission

This is one beautiful wild bird! I love seeing local wildlife up close. It's a true blessing.

Hunting hawk: Copyright © Ben Wheeler, 2016
Used with permission

Hearty thanks to my husband for spotting the bird and sharing his photos with us here! And thank you for visiting! May God bless and keep you!

Related posts:
Wet wild birds: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2014/07/wet-wild-birds.html
Catbird and Robin: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2015/06/catbird-and-robin.html
Eagle festival: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/03/eagle-festival-photos.html

Friday, October 21, 2016

Grasshopper on Golden Chrysanthemums

Happy floral Friday! This neat grasshopper and I surprised each other when I was photographing our golden yellow chrysanthemums last week. The insect took off before I could get a second shot but one is better than none.

Thank you for visiting! I hope this autumn finds you well. May God bless you!

Related posts:
Pretty insects on flowers: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/03/pretty-insects-on-giant-red-zinnias-and.html
Tiny bee on cosmos: https://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/09/big-fat-raindrops-on-beautiful-flowers.html
Yellow finch on black eyed susans: https://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/08/yellow-finch-feeding-on-black-eyed.html

Friday, October 14, 2016

Delightful Dahlias in Early Autumn

Happy floral Friday and welcome to this bonus edition of "this week in my Maryland garden!" Often by this time of year all of my dahlias have been killed by frost but this year they're still blooming and I thought that was worth celebrating with a blog post.

I'm not sure of the actual name of this cute red and white bicolor dahlia but I think of it as my peppermint twist.

This pretty yellow and white bicolor dahlia isn't perfectly formed but it is still beautiful.

This burgundy dahlia plant has been producing beautiful flowers steadily since early spring.

I believe this is a Mr. Optimist bicolor dahlia. It started out with yellow tipped red petals and then faded to this pretty sunset color scheme. I think I cut it over a week ago and it's been in a vase by my computer ever since. The yellow came out more as the red faded.

I feel blessed to have dahlias still blooming in mid-October here in Maryland. It is delightful.

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you!

Related posts:
Summer dahlia: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/09/bright-summer-flowers-dahlia-tithonia.html
Sunset dahlia: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/06/bee-balm-sedum-sunset-dahlia-coreopsis.html
Raindrops on dahlia: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/09/big-fat-raindrops-on-beautiful-flowers.html

Wednesday, October 5, 2016

Two Feral Kittens in a Puffy Bed

Happy wild Wednesday! The wildest things in our home are these two feral born kittens, Braveheart and the Sandman. These cute sibling cats totally love each other. They eat together, play together, groom each other and sleep together. So sweet!

Thank you for visiting! May God bless you and those you love!

Related posts:
Wrestling kittens: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/08/cute-kittens-wrestle-and-surrender.html
Yawning kitten with big tongue: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/06/cute-kittens-yawning-and-cuddling.html
Tiny kittens: http://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2016/05/braveheart-and-sandman-our-new-kittens.html

Saturday, October 1, 2016

My First Breakfast Cobbler - Quick & Easy Berry Delicousness

This might just be the most delicous warm berry breakfast I've ever had! I'd been hearing how tasty Dr. Fuhrman's Blueberry Breakfast Cobbler recipe was and wanted to try it but didn't have the ingredients on hand so I made up my own (much simpler) version with what I did have. I'm glad I improvised because it was yummy and really fast and easy to make.

Here's how I made it:

1 sliced banana
1 cup frozen mixed organic berries
1 tbsp raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix above in a microwave safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute.
Stir, microwave one more minute, then add:

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Stir and cook for another 1.5 minutes.
Stir again and enjoy!

Related posts:
Chocolate berry smoothie: https://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2011/11/healthy-chocolate-berry-banana-smoothie.html
Easy blueberry pancakes: https://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2012/04/easy-blueberry-oatmeal-pancake-recipe.html
DIY sleep tea: https://lovejoyandpeas.blogspot.com/2013/08/diy-sleepy-time-tea-recipe.html

Notes: As far as I know, this recipe is vegan, gluten free and very healthy. There's also no added sugar (the fruit is definitely sweet enough). The measurements are approximate as I just did things by eye and not with measuring implements. I'm not an affiliate of Dr. Fuhrman and wasn't asked or paid to write this post. I am just a big fan of his nutritarian diet style.