Hints of Fall, House Update & How Our Greenhouse Garden is Growing

A close-up of vibrant pink bougainvillea flowers against a backdrop of green leaves and wooden structure, with overlay text promoting outdoor activities and fall hints.

Happy Ides of September, dear friends! This week, I actually have some time to write you all as Mr. Ethereal is working all week. He used up all of his vacation time working on the house over the summer. Our garden is starting to produce again ~ thank goodness for shade cloth! Can’t wait to share the lemons with y’all… While we wait, here is our bougainvillea in all its end-of-summer glory… Let’s get outdoors!

Display of pumpkins, a skeleton in a blue outfit, and hay bales decorated for autumn at a storefront.

Last weekend while picking up groceries, this cute scene greeted me at our local Wal-Mart. We have this last week of heat and then it is supposed to cool down. Yes!!!

Our son is already having temps down in the low 60’s at night up in South Dakota. We should dip into the 70’s next week at night and 80’s during the day. Can’t wait…

A pathway between garden beds leading to a wooden gate, with the sun setting in the background and trees partially shading the area.

House update & ethereal light

I was outside by 8:30am this morning and captured the light coming through the trees… I mowed yesterday so the yards look good ~ perfect for photographing. They were massively overgrown since Hubby has been concentrating on the house every weekend now. I’ve kind of taken over the mowing for the time being. 😉

A narrow pathway between a brick house and wooden fence, lined with green plants, leading towards a gate with sunlight filtering through trees.

Amazing how the light changes in just a few minutes… Some quick photographs from inside, too, as I opened up our front door…

A close-up view of a wooden cabinet showcasing intricate carvings and shadows from natural light.

Intricately carved wooden door panel featuring a serene scene with figures and mountaintops, illuminated by soft sunlight.

Close-up of intricately carved wooden surface featuring a scene with figures and a pagoda, illuminated by soft natural light.

This is my teakwood bar, which was part of a whole set of dining room table, chairs with gold cushions, buffet, sideboard and I think a few other pieces. My father found them on one of his last TDY trips to Okinawa just before we moved from Hawaii to California in the mid-1970s.

It needs a good oiling ~ part of my fall chores. It’s on the list!

A wooden cabinet with intricate carvings, featuring a top drawer and two lower compartments, placed in a sunlit room with various items, including shoes and a vacuum cleaner, around it.

I took these photographs over the past two mornings. No staging. Just the real us as we live through construction debris, hats for sun protection, and such. 😉

Close-up of pink flowering blooms with green leaves in the foreground, with a blurred wheelbarrow in the background.

Getting back outdoors, I am just seeing that the crepe myrtle out front is thinking about putting on its autumnal colors. Just a few last bursts of soft pink summer color…

Hand reaching out towards a wire mesh screen installed near a roof overhang, with a brick chimney and outdoor area visible below.

I started my morning with prep cutting the hardware cloth for Mr. Ethereal’s part of this coming weekend’s projects. I had to move this out of my way so I could add more hardware cloth inside this cavity before starting today’s brickwork.

Close-up view of a brick wall under a roof with wooden beams and insulation, showing mortar between the bricks.

I started right around 8:45am and finished up about 2:45pm. My fastest time so far has been 3 1/2 hours to brick in about the same amount of space. This area had the added need for more hardware cloth, so I needed the stapler and it just took a bit of time, snipping with wire cutters and planning.

I think it turned out pretty well! We do try to reuse any brick pieces we pull out, plus old bricks which I’ve carted home, and others half-buried in the yard from when the house was built.

A potted plant with green leaves and small fruits, situated next to a wooden fence with a background of gravel.

Back to the garden

Our lemon trees are doing really well this year. The heat isn’t bothering them in the least. I have been lightly feeding them once a month with an organic fertilizer and they are thriving!

A close-up of a young green lime growing on a branch among lush green leaves in a pot.

A hand holding a green lime against a backdrop of leaves in a garden.

Some are beginning to turn yellow, which is wonderful! I found one on the ground, which had been pecked by a bird or bee, but most of it is perfectly fine.

A round wooden cutting board with a whole lemon and a half lemon beside a small knife with a red handle, and a cup of iced tea with lemon slices on a granite countertop. In the background, a plate with pieces of bread and salad.

Since I had just finished bricking and had already cleaned up all of my tools and everything was back inside, I could enjoy this lemon. I made a mug of iced tea with lemon plus munched on the last of the frozen lemon scones… YUM!!!

A potted citrus plant with lush green leaves, growing inside a greenhouse setting, surrounded by other plants and gardening materials.

Back out in the greenhouse, this is the other lemon tree which I replanted into this pot in early spring. It has lemons, too, but they are still quite green. The basil and parsely behind in the metal tank are doing very well.

A raised garden bed with protective mesh covering the soil, featuring young plants inside and surrounded by potted plants on a gravel surface. — Two new baby tomato plants covered and staked down… In about a month, I will be enclosing the greenhouse with its plastic protection, so they should be safer then. 😉

I planted new tomato plants as critters ATE my other ones’ leaves! Don’t they know that tomato plants are poisonous?? Only the fruit is edible. Might not have any tomatoes this fall… The garden as a whole has been dismal due to critters eating everything.

A view of a garden bed with growing herbs and plants, featuring a wire mesh cover, irrigation tubing, and surrounding greenery.

The strawberries survived their onslaught and summer, blessedly! I read somewhere, or saw it on a video, that if you plant marigolds with strawberries (plus onions), animals don’t like the smell. I had last fall’s chrysanthemums planted; I hoped they would do the same thing. Guess it worked!

A close-up of a pink bougainvillea flower against a wooden fence, surrounded by green leaves.

A greenhouse interior with potted plants and vibrant foliage, featuring a mesh roof and a wooden fence in the background.

Now let’s check out the bougainvillea and the rest of the backyard!

The “bougy” sent out new big canes this year after the freeze last winter which killed back the older canes. Nice to see it peeking over the fence to share with neighbors!

A well-maintained garden featuring a variety of plants, a decorative fence, and a greenhouse in the background under a clear blue sky.

Out in the foreyard, the bougainvillea is a bright pop of color in an otherwise green but weary garden. Now that summer’s heat is beginning to abate, everything will bounce back.

Close-up of a soft pink flower with green leaves growing in a pot, set against a blurred garden background.

A close-up of a pale pink flower with ruffled petals, surrounded by green leaves, set against a blurred garden background.

A potted rose plant with blooming flowers, including white and pink blossoms, situated on a brick patio surrounded by greenery.

“Bonica” shares its little flowers here having moved from its normal home across the pavers. I need to give it some love this winter with new soil and a root trim.

A peaceful garden scene featuring a birdbath, a small round table with chairs, and a stone ornament in the background, surrounded by lush green grass and plants.

That’s it, friends! Our little tour around the garden. I will share other plants which bloom over on my Instagram. The roses may have one more show later this fall. I did feed them all in late August/early September so we should have a small display in late October to early November. Maybe Thanksgiving roses? 🙂 Feel free to leave a comment, ask questions and I will do my best to answer them for you. Hugs!

Happy early fall,

Illustration of a woman smiling while holding a bouquet of sunflowers, with the name 'Barb' elegantly scripted beside her.

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1 thought on “Hints of Fall, House Update & How Our Greenhouse Garden is Growing”

marmeladegypsy says:

September 15, 2026 at 9:58 pm

I think you two are amazing! Everything looks really fantastic — and boy, that’s a lot of work!

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