Fall Is Here

The weather has been cool and wet lately. It rained most of the day today but the sun peeped out for a few minutes. Last night the temperature dipped quite low and the results are beautiful new colors on the trees and many leaves are beginning to fall.
Leaves and temperatures are not the only things falling lately. I took a look at the value of my retirement funds today. I figure it is better to know the facts than to bury my head and ignore them. Still, it was quite a shock. I figure that I am not alone in this mess and somehow I will be okay but it is surely going to take many years. I have stopped thinking that I will be retiring anytime soon and I am pretty sure I will not be spending money on major vacations or large purchases for quite awhile.
My backyard was looking quite fall like when I returned home from work so I snapped some pictures.
The Sugar Maple has been dropping leaves.
One of my Japanese Maples has turned a pretty orange over night.
The whole yard is looking healthier from the cooler temps and rain.
I don't remember this Japanese Maple looking as beautiful as it does this year.
The shade garden all cleaned up.
This is the area of the back garden that I worked on last weekend. It is getting to look more natural and established. I am hoping the Arborvitae grow faster in the next couple of years. They will get some special fertilizer soon.
The near plants are the cariopteris I moved last weekend. Some are looking healthy, others might not make it.
Another look at the carpet of leaves. I will get to use my new leaf blower vacuum this weekend.

This is the "Disappointment Garden". It is supposed to be summery warm this weekend so I will do my best to get this garden cleaned out.
The higher part of the "Disappointment Garden". This part is actually not too weedy.
This is the more slim and trim "Miss Kim" dwarf Korean Lilac.
I am finally getting grass to grow in the bare spots in the front yard. Yipee!!

The past two weeks I have been working on piecing all of my hand pieced circle blocks into a quilt top. I finally finished it tonight. I might add a border, not sure yet. What do you think?
I used my Asian fabrics with predominant colors of green and purple. I hand pieced the curves and used three different sizes of circles. I am considering appliqueing more circles over the corners of the blocks to hide the sharp corners and the straight lines. What do you think? I plan to machine quilt this on my own and to get it finished for a special exhibit on Circles and Curves at the Okemos Library in March 2009.
An up close look at the smaller circles.
Another look.
A look at the larger circles.

If you are not part of the solution, you are part of the problem.