Morning sun on my white African violet. A year ago at My Holiday Home Show, I was gifted this beautiful plant by Rick & Nancy in one of my own flower pots. It was a cutting propagated from the original plant that was Rick’s mother’s violet. Such a thoughtful gift in… and it has never stopped blooming! So beautiful… and surprising to have a flowering plant all the time!

So apparently I’m NOT the only one whose cactus is starting to bloom… like this one down in Peoria! They’re looking pretty happy in their handmade pottery flower pots, just sayin’! Thanks for the photos Gerry & Rosene!

Anyways, thanks to a Facebook Fan who clarified the difference, this is in fact a Thanksgiving Cactus. Different from a Christmas Cactus… or even more different from an Easter Cactus. Who knew there were three?… not me! But thanks to Kim for clarifying the cactus confusion for me.

For more information to clarify the cactus confusion, click here!

Dark & rainy this morning… but there’s a glimmer of sunshine happening!!! I just noticed that my Christmas Cactus is getting ready to bloom… something it hasn’t done since I’ve had it!!!! Kind of exciting to see it blooming finally… although it looks like it might be more of a Thanksgiving Cactus than Christmas?! I have no idea how long these flowers will last!!! But I’m excited to find out… finally!!!

A surprising beauty blooming in my back courtyard. I thought the clematis were done blooming for the year… but this one must be a little confused!!!

While I was outside pedaling, there were plenty of bees working hard along the lakefront too! Trying to gather the last of the pollen before a big freeze shuts them all down! I’m sure they’re moving a bit slower on these chilly days… but enjoying today’s bright sunshine!!!

Some of the flowers along the bike trail are still hanging on…
while others, not so much.

After yesterday’s “frozen icicle morning”… it was quite a treat to get out this afternoon in my bike shorts & sleeveless jersey for a beautiful Fall bike ride along the lake. The colors are hanging in there, the weather was amazing… and I was playing hooky from all of the glazing I “should” have been doing!!!

What a difference one letter can make…
so today we’re also celebrating MUMSHOT MONDAY!!!
Again, with orange… my fave!!!

With a forecast of a warm & partly-sunny afternoon, I decided to take the afternoon off to play hooky at the Illinois Beach State Park north of the City. A new adventure destination for me! As I drove further north, the temp started to drop. As I got close to the park an ominous fog covered the sky. The waves were crashing all around but oddly coming coming out of a foggy distance. The colors were beautiful but oddly shrouded in fog… as I pretty much had the entire lakefront park to myself in an isolating fog.

The scenery was AMAZING…
albeit not the warm & partly sunny afternoon by the lake I had expected.

So I posted earlier this summer about this perfect little “volunteer” petunia who decided to grow through the cracks in the cement by my back gate. And now he has a friend!!! We have quite a little flower garden going on back here!!!