After last week’s sudden snowfall, we’ve lost a LOT of colorful Fall leaves. However… I did find this colorful “hanger-on-er” this morning… a splash of beautiful Fall color lingering as long as it can. And I’m here for it.

So I was scrolling through Instagram earlier today and ran across this post.
And I thought to myself… “Wow, that flower looks a LOT like the dahlias I have blooming at home right now. And I wonder if mine will survive yesterday’s snow at all?!”

And then I looked closer… it also looks like my condo… also looks like my bricks… like my basement window frame… my dahlia plant… my tomato cage… wait a minute… THAT IS MY DAHLIA!!! Blooming but struggling under the snow!!!

Turns out Sarah walks her dog Sheryl past my place regularly, and has been enjoying my dahlias all Fall. Who knew???… That the “runner-up-in-my-eyes” on THE GREAT AMERICAN BAKING SHOW would be posting pictures of my dahlias on her Instagram?! Small world!

And just for the record… the snow did them in!!! Got home tonight and the plants are frozen, wilted & DEAD!!! Hope I can still save the tubers…

So we got a good bit of snow yesterday & freezing “rain” overnight… not sure if it was a trick or a treat? Sure, it was pretty enough, but I definitely wasn’t ready to chip all the ice off my car this morning just to get in!!! Loving the Fall colors… I just want them to last longer!!!

Beautifully colored Fall ivy leaves with a bit of sunshine streaming through.

This may have been the “perfect” Fall colors weekend here in Chicago. Which was reason enough for me to head out for a hike in the woods yesterday. It started out nice & sunny, but all too soon the clouds moved in late afternoon. Gray skies… but still beautiful Fall colors!

Although I’d rather be outside on the OTHER side of that window!!!

Another beautiful blue-sky afternoon… perfect for another bike ride along the lakefront. A bit on the chilly side… long sleeves & gloves again. But I wasn’t quite ready for trees to be changing colors already! As much as I love Fall… I’m not quite ready for it. But let’s be real… this tree is in fact BEAUTIFUL in the beginning of its Fall coloring!!! Okay… so maybe I’ll be “ready” soon…

Hard to believe it’s already October! While I want Summer to last forever… I actually LOVE Fall too. And I’m ready to kick-off October with a big bowl of gourds on the table. Thanks to the folks at ART IN THE BARN for selling off their seasonal decorations at the end of the art fair. I came home with a couple bags of pumpkins & gourds! Although we all know that in a side-by-side contest… GOURDS are so much cooler!!!

It definitely feels like Fall is right around the corner. The zinnias are still beautiful, but you can tell they’re nearing the end of their season! Beautiful colors with great petal structure… but a few of them aren’t holding up so well. Enjoy the end of summer while you can…

Clear skies with cool breezes. It’s the first day of September, and I hate to admit that it feels like Summer is slowly coming to an end. It was chilly enough this morning that I actually put on long sleeves! I’m not ready for this… I WANT MORE SUMMER!!!