What becomes of an old rubber lizard, when its days of play are done? 
This ghoulish creature is an appropriate Halloween character, but in its youth it was a brightly colored companion to three boys. It has a hollow gullet and was known to swallow small plastic toys. Later on it endured tougher times, when Jasmine the black lab became its enemy. She would stalk and attack it, growling and shaking it and chewing on its legs. But now the boys are grown and Jasmine is buried under a weeping Japanese maple, while the lizard still prevails, serving faithfully as guardian of the garden.
The ancient lizard has watched many seasons come and go. The garden has matured, and now it is perhaps the prettiest ever. As autumn passes, I want to hold on to every mellow moment as long as I can. I am enjoying days on the patio and walks about the garden, even as leaves are falling and breezes are bringing cooler air.
Here is my view from the patio lounge chair, looking across my recently refurbished table and a cobblestone birdhouse, toward the front garden:
Fall is a beautiful time of year in the front garden. Japanese maples and dogwoods are especially lovely.
I love bird houses! Walking around to the opposite side of the house, another birdhouse is next to the drive:
This old bird house's rusty roof ls attractive with fall foliage in the background.
another view of the birdhouse by the drive
I haven't posted a photo of my little blue bridge in the woodland garden in a while. I took this shot last week:
Light streams across the blue bridge in the woodlands.
This woodland path is near the Lady Garden:
Some more views around the garden:
Finally, commenters from my previous post had great suggestions on what to name our new kitty. I truly appreciate all of you who took time to comment. Top choices included Sage, Rosemary, Maggie (short for Magnolia) and Berri, but in the end she rejected all of them. The name she responded to and which seemed to fit perfectly (once we had thought of it) is:
Autumn!
You may also enjoy A Snowy Monster and Other Things in My Garden