Blessed Are the Beasts and the Sedum, Too.

Here's the prettiest thing not blooming in my garden.

Sedum Autum Joy is as lovely against a winter backdrop as she is in full flower. (IMHO)

Stopped over to visit my horse, Bella, today.

She was all riled up.

Stamping her feet. Calling loudly.

Running the length of her corral with a keen eye on the snowy meadow behind it.

First she'd whinny at me. Trot toward the back gate.

As if she wanted to show me something.

 

Bad Dog and I spotted him at precisely the same moment.

We turned and ran for the car as fast as our little legs could go.

Me, for the camera.

BD for safe haven. That's my doggie! Hiding in the car when he should be acting as my bodyguard. :)

This is the biggest coyote I've ever seen. As big as Bad Dog and that coward weighs in at 109. He was hunting for field mice. Listening to them scurry beneath the snow. Diving into the drifts to catch them.

Bell and I stood at the back fence watching him hunt and play for at least an hour. He just ignored us and went about his business goofing off in the freezing cold. Pretty special...

~~~~~~~~~~

The reason I stopped over to see the horse in the first place was to bring her The Invitation. It's Christmas! People are giving us stuff! We're going to Arizona for a great big trail ride!

I was so excited I spilled coffee all over the invite.

But, here it is. I showed it to Bella. She tried to eat it.

I'm taking that as an RSVP yes!

Sedum: Autumn Joy

Autumn is upon us. I can always tell when the phone rings, and it's Kathleen. We're fall birthday girls and email addicts, so we rarely 'talk' to one another. When birthdays roll around, it's time to pick up the phone, check flights to Chicago and make big plans.

Certain plants remind me of certain people and so it is with Kathleen and Sedum. Each year, this fall perennial bursts into bloom right about the time she and I reconnect, every year.

She works all season long, growing bigger and bigger, overshadowed by all the summer-blooming perennials. Her buds are covered with rambling bumble bees... and then, like clockwork, she opens up right about the time everything else has tired out.

There are lots of kinds of Sedum ~ and if you want my advice I think you should one of every kind. Fall-blooming Mums are nice but she is pretty breathtaking in comparison. Not fussy about soil, drought-tolerant and a pretty sweet roadside diner for migrating butterflies.

Speaking of migration, she's off on another adventure. This time an African Photo Safari. I live vicariously through K's travels.

Sedum blooms from August to September, adding luscious color to the fall garden. Pale green foliage resemble the leaves of a jade plant. Taking their cue from deciduous trees, the rosy pink flowers mature to a lovely brick red before the first hard frost.

It takes a long time to grow an old friend. ~ John Leonard

* Deadhead in spring.
** The Royal Horticultural Society gave Sedum telephium 'Autumn Joy' the Garden Merit Award. USDA zones 3-10.
*** Me: 10/16, Kathleen: 11/6 - send us birthday cards! It takes our mind off the fact that we're growing old.