We get slightly cheated on Fall. Fall in Kentucky is almost always either 90 degrees or below freezing. The leaves sometimes don’t change color at all- instead, they stay green on the trees until an Arctic blast of a cold front rolls through then *poof* they all dump on the ground in one big, dewy mess. In our neighborhood- quiet townhomes built on the lawn of a 19th-century farmhouse- we’re tucked away from busy streets, hidden, so that aside from being cheated on the Autumnal colors that blanket most of the midwest, we’re also jipped on treat-or-treaters! Every year, Jack-o-Lanterns have been carved, cauldrons of Reese cups sit out, and I wait, in a witch’s hat for some young ghost to ring the doorbell. It never happens.
So, here, in my tiny little St. Matthews home, I have to make my own Fall color, rest assured that my outdoor candle holders can be a teeny bit more sophisticated than a smiling pumpkin face, eat my own Halloween candy, and decide that- if needed- our newly screenless and scrubbed patio doors can serve as a gorgeous setting for the ludicrous amount of gourds I always buy.
Pale green and white pumpkins from “normal” size, to pie pumpkins, ugly and twisted green and white numbers, to tiny little tabletop gourds make their home out here. The teeny, little guys were drilled out to serve as a sort of organic candle holder- tea lights were dropped into each one. Sturdy black lanterns from Target hold bigger pillar candles for a bigger glow.
On the way back from Huber’s Orchard a couple of weeks ago, I spotted a place called The Mum Factory. A large, many-acred lot filled with nothing but potted mums of all colors and sizes. A single old farmer sat in his truck and hoped we’d pay in cash. The bright fuchsia petals caught my attention.
Coupled with the ivy growing up our home and layered doormats (also from Target), the rear patio looks ready for a Halloween party of my own- candles lit, a cup of hot cider, feet up, eating my Reese’s.
** this post was not sponsored in any way. all thoughts and opinions are my own **
** photos by Kyle Lueken **
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