What's outside of your picture window today?

I feel your pain with the critters!! We seem to be cyclical with the red squirrels. We’re pretty good this year but a year ago, we were as you said, over run! A couple of them ventured into the garage and were wreaking havoc in there. The final straw was making a nest in the wheel well of my car that had been parked for a week. Um, let’s say their fate was determined at that point. This year we hardly see any red squirrels and they’re replaced with Grey and Black. At least they’re not as destructive. Good luck!

Lori, This is a new experience for me. I've never had one bloom before, nor had them in a flower pot. All of my old ones were in the rock garden years ago.
So here is the problem...I'm not comfortable to bring them into the house. You know how it is for transplant patients! However since they are small. (there are 3 varieties) I'm thinking of purchasing some new clean indoor potting soil, and getting a clean pot and giving it a try.

Ugh, I know our problem of houseplants. I still have a couple in the house I can’t bare to part with. I wear a mask, water them at night right before bed.
I wonder if you can buy sterilized soil? Maybe @sueinmn would know? A while back I was reading about sterilizing soil in the microwave or oven. But we shouldn’t really be in the house during either of those operations. And I’d worry about the fan in the microwave releasing any fungus or contaminates making them airborne.
Could you wear a mask or have your husband pot the plant outdoors, water it and then bring it in the house? That might help avoid any issues.

@artist01 @ess77 @jakedduck1 and fellow Autumn lovers. More fall colors. This time from my friend Farmer Joe. I took these the other day at his produce stand before he sold out for the season.

Wow! I really love these. They would make great fall cards.

Thanks Chris! Aren’t the colors just yummy? Yells autumn at the top of its lungs! This year’s harvest was particularly impressive.
We’ve been friends for 40+ years and I’ve used so many photos of his farm and produce for Thanksgiving cards. A couple years ago I sketched some little rustic watercolors of his farm and had them printed on cards for a gift box for Joe and his wife. Their farm is so serene. I just love going out to visit.
He also grows just gorgeous jewel toned corn. The stalks grow about 12 or more feet high!! The ears weren’t dry yet so this is a photo from the internet. But it’s exactly the corn he grows.

@loribmt and @rosemarya Yes, you can get sterilized potting soil, then to keep stuff from growing on it and getting in the air, top it with a generous layer of aquarium gravel.
As for succulents, you can pot them in cactus mix, which looks like gravel and is far less likely to be contaminated. And they want to be in a very bright window and kept quite dry.
Sue

@loribmt Years ago I did a quilted wall-hanging in a stained glass style. It was based on a poem called "Dineh War God's Horse Song". It was a song of praise, describing the horse having a rainbow colored mane, teeth like shells, a head like the waters in the river, and ears like cobs of corn, etc. I had multi-colored corn fabric that was used, plus fabric that matched the other attributes. It was entered in to Quilt Visions 1996 [San Diego, CA] but never went beyond the submission stage.
Ginger

Awesome Sue! Thank you! 🥰

Oh Ginger, I bet it was gorgeous! I’m sorry others didn’t share the appreciation to have it go forward in exhibition. I know, you made it more for yourself but when you enter something you feel is noteworthy and not have it go further it stings a bit…