Appreciating the Beauty of September in My Garden

In many places this Paulownia tomentosa or Princess Tree is considered a weed tree. I love it because it has spectacular lavender and gold fuzzy blossoms in spring and these gorgeous gold seed pods that linger through winter. I enjoy the view of it from my kitchen window. I saw a gorgeous specimen at Monticello years ago and I fell in love. As you can see it is now a very large tree (I grew it from seed) and so far it has not become a pest.

This is my favorite autumn blooming brown-eyed Susan. A rudbeckia species-I collected seed years ago in a field. It is so cheerful as other flowers are fading.
I love the way it brightens up the vegetable garden paths. I am really enjoying the afternoon sun now. Not so scorching as in July and August, it feels pleasantly warm as I make vain attempts at taming the late summer- early autumn jungle. I am making the effort to show the reality of my garden at this time of year. It has definitely gotten out of hand as is usual after a hot summer!

Amidst the color there is quite a bit of tall grass that takes over in August. Also the honeysuckle (Lonicera)and trumpet vines( Campsis) and a few oak seedlings planted by the squirrels keep popping up every week.
There are still hummingbirds, dragonflies and many butterflies.  Despite the messiness of late summer there is so much color and fragrance to enjoy!

 I hope you are enjoying this late summer /early autumn. Taking walks in the country is a real pleasure now -especially if you see the same places everyday. I love watching the subtle changes as autumn begins to edge out the summer. The summer birds are beginning to head south and the winter residents are beginning to arrive. The colorful summer flowers are slowly giving way to the leaves coloring up on the trees.

I will be away until October on a media-free retreat and a visit to a dear friend. When i return I hope to have more clarity about the mastermind I will be joining. Also I hope to have some lovely photographs.
Please leave some comments below or email me or pm me on Facebook. I love connecting with you , reading your comments and replying.
You might want to peek at my Pinterest boards.
https://www.pinterest.com/colleen2322/
Until next time- enjoy  your life and Appreciate Beauty Everyday (especially your own!).

Winding up Summer-Staying/Getting on Course

The vanilla scented Autumn Clematis is blooming all over my landscape. This lovely vine signals for me "Back to School" time! I love the end of August - early September. Back to school time has always seemed to me like a fresh start. I still enjoy indulging in some new "school supplies"'- crisp paper, new pens and pencils , notebooks and of course, art supplies!
I have a "back-to school "project to prepare for. This year I will at long last  be joining a Mastermind to learn about business in the 21st C- especially  based on a service/connection/ heart centered  approach. A few weeks ago I joined Connie Livingston in her Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/PassionAndPurposeCreateACareerYouLove/ and it has been very enlightening. I especially enjoy Connie's Facebook Live chats which are archived so that they can be viewed again later. There is a wealth of information and there are many tips on finding your purpose and a career you love.I will keep you posted on my progress! Meanwhile Connie has a book Go Forward Fearlessly and  a very informative website: (Cornelia Ward IS Connie Livingston! I had to Google DBA to understand that some states encourage a business name https://www.entrepreneur.com/encyclopedia/doing-business-as-dba~)
Author Cornelia Ward is a career and business mentor who helps people love Mondays!  
What does that mean?  Well, 80% of Americans wake up each morning dragging themselves to a job that’s just not working for them.  She thinks this is completely crazy!
Cornelia works with people to create a career transition plan - whether it's starting their own business or finding a new career path that really lights them up - so that they're really excited every Monday morning to get back to work!  This includes people who are self-employed and want to move deeper into the work they are meant to do or who are confident they are fulfilling their life purpose now but want to reach more people.
Her website is www.LifePurposeStrategySession.com where you can request a Complimentary Life Purpose Strategy Session with Cornelia and download a free copy of her book Go Forward Fearlessly! – perfect for anyone navigating major life transitions!
At these Complimentary Life Purpose Strategy Sessions, people walk away with so much more hope about the future and with concrete and creative ideas that they can implement immediately in their lives.
She has a free audio podcast, Go For Your Life Purpose, available on Itunes, Stitcher and at her website www.GoForwardFearlesslyBook.com

I am also delighted to share  that Reba Linker has a brilliant  new approach this autumn. Reba hosts the Leaders in Self Love Facebook group https://www.facebook.com/groups/leadersinselflove/ which is upbeat , fun , and offers common sense about living a happy life. Reba reminds me of one of my favorite quotations from Jane Austen "Let other pens dwell on guilt and misery..." She focuses on what is good about life and she inspires us to share our insight and experiences.

Reba  is staging a revolution in common sense with her Courses a la Carte page! She has the 10-course meals – those courses with multiple lessons that will walk you through months of lessons, AND she has also innovated a series of ‘mini-courses.’This is a BRILLIANT approach - no overwhelm - just enough in each mini -course to inspire you to use the lessons in your life!

The mini-courses each have a central theme, a single lesson to give you exactly what you need at the moment. After each mini-course you get a beautiful Certificate of Completion that gives you a wonderful feeling of accomplishment and completion. Each mini-course stands alone. You can continue your exploration at your own pace when you are ready for the next mini-course.

Click here to visit Reba’s Courses a la Carte page! http://rebalinker.com/courses/

So, how about you? Are you in "back to school"mode? If so, what are you doing? Are you exploring new ways of learning?  Are you curious about the links I posted above? Do you join Facebook groups to discover new friends and new experiences?
I love your Comments! Please leave comments or email me or pm me on Facebook. Also take a peek at my Pinterest boards https://www.pinterest.com/colleen2322/   and please share yours with me! Thank you for stopping by!