Sometimes the Grass Really Is Greener on the Other Side

A while back I set up a little cozy, fall  ‘scape out on the porch.

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn

 

A few weeks before creating that little tablescape, I had purchased some real acorns on Amazon.  They were reasonably priced  and perfect for  fall.  (You’ll find more pics of this fall tablescape, HERE.)

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn

 

The funny thing is, I have a HUGE oak tree in my front yard.

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn

 

But for some crazy reason, 99.9% of the acorns it drops look like this.  They almost never still have their little acorn hats attached.  Yep, I have bald acorns in my front yard.  Bald acorns just don’t get it for decorating.  The squirrels really enjoy them, though.

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn

 

A few days ago I walked up to the end of my driveway to fetch the mail and it was like manna from heaven.  All around my mailbox the ground was covered in the prettiest, plumpest acorns you’ve ever seen.  They looked nothing like the acorns I find under my oak tree.  I looked around trying to figure out from whence this acorn blessing had come.  I decided they had to be from this huge oak tree across the street.

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn

 

I was so excited!  I picked up as many as I could stuff into my pockets that day.  The next day I went back out with a gallon baggie to collect more. I only found a few more on my side of the road.  I eyed the ones lying in the street and on the sidewalk across the street.  I got brave and decided it was okay to pick up those, too.

While I was outside making like a squirrel and gathering my acorns, my neighbor (owner of this most amazing oak tree) came home.  Her sweet daughter helped me fill up my bag with acorns from the sidewalk.  Aren’t they just the cutest things ever?  It’s so amazing to me how different acorns can be from one oak tree to the next.  Do you find this amazing or am I just weird? Okay, I’m probably just weird. lol

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn

 

Sometimes the grass acorn really is greener prettier on the other side of the fence street.

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn

 

Do you have an oak tree in your yard? If so, does it drop bald acorns like my oak tree or do you get pretty ones like the ones that fall from my neighbor’s tree?

Decorating the Porch for Fall or Autumn
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Comments

  1. Susan @ homeroad.net says

    Great acorns! I actuallygo over to my parent's house to get acorns every year. This year they had only ugly, bald acorns like yours…. Must be a bad acorn year for some oaks 🙂 I'm going for a walk and see if my neighbors have any "prettier acorns!"
    🙂 Susan

  2. Holly Diane says

    Your neighbors nuts are so cute..lol I guess I've never paid much attention but I think the ones I've seen most are t he topless ones like yours.

  3. I just had to laugh. We have over 15 oak trees and they all give me bald acorns. I took a walk in the woods behind our property and gathered perfect acorns.. go figure. At least now I am not the only one gathering acorns.LOL

  4. Tanya@takesix says

    Susan, we have a big old oak tree on our property in the country. I would say that they fall about half and half (hats on, hats off). I have been known to whip out the ole glue gun and glue hats on the acorn!! Beautiful display on your deck~

  5. I've seen both kinds around, but always thought the topless ones were caused by marauding squirrels. My yard is surrounded by maples so all I get are those twirly-gig things.

    I like the ones from your neighbor's tree even better than the Amazon ones!

  6. Mid-Atlantic Martha says

    Bald —- all bald! If I have any pretty ones, they've been purchased. hummmmmm…..maybe I need to search my neighbor's yard.

  7. sweet violets says

    Good for you!!! I don't have an oak tree around me, but my post office has them all across the front of the parking lot…..the little beauties were all over the lawn and the asphalt and no one was interested so I gathered them in a grocery bag, which I had to empty out to use!!!! Now every year I go back to gather more……the hot glue gun comes in handy to re-attach the tops……

  8. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    I noticed a little hot glue peeking out on a few of the ones I purchased from Amazon. The glue gun is a great idea! A few of the ones I just picked up have shed their little hats. I'll definitely be pulling out the glue gun to those! Thanks for the suggestion!

  9. All of the acorns in my yard are bald too. Haven't seen many with their hats on in my neighborhood. Great find!

  10. The oak tree in our front yard gave us its first acorns last year after living here 21 years (the tree was 21 years too) and they were the bald kind. I thought they were heavenly since they were its first downpour. This year the old girl gave us none. Maybe, just maybe, some day she will produce the ones with the pretty hats but I still saved last years and use them with a lot of my autumn decorating.
    Wondering how old your tree is.

  11. I stopped by to visit my mom to find her gluing the hats onto the acorns so that she could decorate her Thanksgiving table. Clearly, I come from a long line of crafters. Thanks for sharing your acorn tale. ~CJ

  12. Well Tanya@takesix beat me too it, because I was going to suggest the glue gun, or Alene's Glue. My neighbor's tree drops acorns (mostly hatless) in my yard and I have bunches collected and stored in bags that I can take out for decorating each fall. The supply is endless 🙂

  13. Erin~Just*Grand says

    We have fourteen very old oak trees in our yard… We have years when the lawn, both front and back, is literally covered with a carpet of acorns and other years when there are not nearly as many. Crunch city! I think the prolific years are called "mast years"… They are one of nature's mysteries. This year was not one of those! I do collect the big, chubby ones and I have had to glue some hats back on… I agree with you about the bountiful feeling you get when you see them, there for the taking. I have often wished there was something really cool that I could make or do with them to sell… I'd be rich! Love your blog!

  14. Erin~Just*Grand says

    We have fourteen very old oak trees in our yard… We have years when the lawn, both front and back, is literally covered with a carpet of acorns and other years when there are not nearly as many. Crunch city! I think the prolific years are called "mast years"… They are one of nature's mysteries. This year was not one of those! I do collect the big, chubby ones and I have had to glue some hats back on… I agree with you about the bountiful feeling you get when you see them, there for the taking. I have often wished there was something really cool that I could make or do with them to sell… I'd be rich! Love your blog!

  15. Tombstone Livestock says

    My oak trees only have long skinny acorns guess it depends on Live Oak, Black Oak, White Oak, and don't know how many other varities there are. Nothing wrong with a dab of glue holding hats on. Now Susan you have a some you can sell on Amazon.

  16. Our tree is just starting to drop baby acorns the past two years. We have a lot of squirrels who visit and invade the acorns before I can get them. I find many buried ones as well as abandoned ones that are half eaten. Our neighbor has a tree too that I just started watching for acorns. The squirrels have gotten them first as well.

    Then there is my annual abundant walnut crop but I am not going to go there…they beat me to those too!

  17. My acorns are bald too! They really do need their cute little caps!! I have red oaks in my yard…maybe they only drop bald ones!

    Miss Bloomers

  18. It just proves that walking with your head down is not always a bad thing! No oak tree here, but I think I'll take the dogs for a walk!
    I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

    Elaine
    Creating Wonderful Spaces

  19. Sue from Toledo says

    Be careful where you decorate with those "real" ones :). My mom tells a story about decorating a church dining hall for a dinner with "collected" acorns and when she returned a few hours later, little wormies of some kind were all over the tables enjoying the inside warmth! Not too appetizing!

  20. Blondie's Journal says

    I have an oak tree and I made it out there in time to gather some. Wow…Amazon has everything!!

    Very cute story…hope they didn't think you were nuts {!}

    XO,
    Jane

  21. Hi Susan. We just moved to a new house and there is an oak tree down by the mailbox. I noticed all the caps, but no acorns. We have a bajillion squirrels so I don't know if they are getting the nuts or if we have bald acorns, too. I've been collecting the caps so I can make some felt acorns.

  22. Our oak tree is a native Gary Oak and only grows on this island. It gives us tiny,perfect little acorns with tiny, perfect hats.

  23. Susan, I thought I was the only CRAZY… I was in a shopping center a few weeks ago and looked down… The side of the parking lot drive had the most gorgeous acorns WITH their cute little hats attached…. I started collecting them while dodging cars… A woman just has to do what she is called to do!!! Now I have a bag of little treasures for next fall….

  24. Heaven's Walk says

    I know exactly what you're saying, Susan. We have one old oak tree on our property, and by the time I remember to start collecting the acorns, the deer have already been into them – and knocked all of the hats off of them! lol! I do collect them anyway so that I can give the squirrels a treat now and then during the winter. 🙂 You scored big time!!!

    oxo laurie

  25. raioX - da Tin says

    lol… it was funny , really that stuff about the other side of the fence is really appropriate here!
    greetings 🙂

  26. All I get is black walnuts. Wish I had an acorn tree around.

  27. The ones in the park drop bald acorns. 🙁 I don't have one in my yard

  28. Michele/Ohio says

    Bi acorns and I actually bought some this year too….but I will say quite a few peeps take their bald ones and hot glue gun the caps back on.

    Lots of peeps sell them on ebay.

    I would love love love to have an oak tree, but this subdivision was built on farm land about ten years ago, so all our planted trees will take a long while to get huge like those!

    Hubs and I have planted over 40 trees, so it is looking better….but no oaks….yet….

    Love your blog and love you did that. Pretty sure the squirrels aren't going to be happy about you doing that, though, haha.

    The sheep pic is too cute.

  29. The oaks here drop many acorns complete with "caps". Last year I carefully picked up only capped nuts, none with cracks or holes…just the picture perfect ones. I put them in a jar in the den…but soon discovered worms in the jar…ick. I carefully picked out the acorns, let them "dry" in the sun; cleaned the jar, and let it dry for several days. Yet, over the winter, I ended up with moldy acorns. Does anyone know how to preserve these ????

  30. NO, I never find intact acorns!! Might as well leave them on the ground. The cajun squirrels are easy to please….they eat anything.

  31. Just make sure you bake them first before decorating your home with them (I saw how to to do it on the internet one time, so just do a simple Google search). When I gather them, they always have little white worms that come out after a while!!!! =P Yuck!

  32. Wow, beautifull colors!!!

  33. Susan, I am new to following blogs and your blog is the best I've found. Your posts informative, classy, and interesting. I love knowing you'll have several posts each week and appreciate how much effort goes into providing so much content. Best wishes for a Merry Chrismas. Suzie

  34. Nann from At Nann's Table says

    What a darling story! And your neighbors really are cute. I think the comment before mine about cooking them first because of the little white worms makes sense. I didn't know that so I wonder how many people actually do know it too. Think I'll stick with the after Thanksgiving sale of the not real ones. (I didn't want to say fake) Big Smile. Charming post as always Susan.

  35. If you love acorns then I know your gonna love what I'm gonna tell you!!! My aunt lives in Canton, and I have been decorating her new home.One day we were out shopping in this little out of the way shop in Holly Springs called Fun Finds and Consigns ( I think that's the name :-/ ) Well, there is a HUGE oak tree next to the shop,and it had the biggest acorns I have ever seen!!!! They looked like the kind that Hobby Lobby sells for $10.00 a bag! Of course they were green,because we found them in the late summer…My aunt and I picked up a Walmart bag (that was all we could find in the car)full of them,I took them home and dried them out in the oven…They turned out so pretty and golden brown,and shiny…just like the ones from Hobby Lobby! If you live close enough, next year you should go over and pick up some! We went back a few weeks ago,and they have already started sprouting,so we didn't get any to take home 🙁
    Some of the caps came off while they were drying,so I just glued them back on with hot glue and they look great!

  36. Donna in Potomac says

    Lotta weirdo's out there! 🙂 This post made me laugh because I'm always surprised to find them with their caps on…I love anything miniature.

  37. You're not nuts about the acorns. I found exactly 1 intact acorn in my driveway and I picked it up and put it in my car as a kind of talisman, to remind me of the beauty of the seasons changing.
    I think I'd lose my mind with wanting to make something if I had all those intact beauties.

  38. Baking cleaned acorns in a 175 degree oven for and hour is the way to prevent worms and mold. You will find the caps come off, just glue them back. Pinecones can be baked also if they are not opened, just remove them when they open up. I learned this over 50 years ago when my mother washed the dust off her large pinecone wreath and they all closed up.

  39. I had pretty much the same experience as Suzy… One year I collected a bag full of acorns from my Mom's tree, displayed them on a cute leaf-shaped plate, and in a few days had little worms crawling all over them… yuck! Never again. I bought some fake ones from Pottery Barn and use those instead.

  40. FABBY'S LIVING says

    Such a fun story, we don't have that kind of tree around here, so, I'll even take the hatless ones from your tree! Happy Holliday Season.
    FABBY

  41. ❀ⒹⒺⒺ❀@ A Lapin Life says

    Your porch looks so pretty!
    My yard is full of acorns. 🙂

    Dee

  42. Lynn@ The Vintage Nest says

    The acorn trees on the edge of the woods had hardly any acorns this year but Charlie had the biggest, fattest, plumpest acorns I had ever seen on his property. I guess the different kinds of oaks put out different kinds of acorns. You should have done a shout out on your blog. We would have sent you anything. xo

  43. Lynn@ The Vintage Nest says

    P.s. I forgot to tell you this. In my old house we had sky lights all across the backside with a great big oak tree hanging over it. Some falls when there was an abundance of acorns (seemed like every other year) you never heard such a racket on our house until all the acorns finished falling. Wow!

  44. Cute post, Susan. Most of the acorns here are tiny and usually have lost their caps. Acorns are a favorite natural element for me, so I tend to decorate with them as well. I pick up any complete ones I find, but the faux acorns have found their way into our home as well. 😉
    Great find and cute photo of the sheep. ~ Sarah

  45. I always glue the caps on–but then the way I use them I already have the glue gun out. The acorns will keep in the freezer for months without worms, and if you use them in an arrangement where they are spray-painted the worms will not hatch out. Perhaps you can spray them with clear spray–I would think that would have the same effect.

  46. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Wow! So many great ideas! I will definitely do some googling on this and check out the baking/refrigerating suggestions. I do not want wiggly worms mixed in with my acorns!

  47. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Suzie, thanks so much for those kind words! So glad you are here reading! 🙂

  48. Beware! In our neck of the woods, something burrows into the acorns through the caps, lays eggs inside, then seals the hole back up so you cannot tell by looking at the acorn. Then, low and behold…..when you're least expecting it, out pops a fat little worm (looks like a maggot) after it has eaten it's way out of the acorn. GROSS to say the least. I'd suggest baking them or something – maybe google it for ideas. We have lots of acorns around us but after that experience, I've resorted to just buying fake ones again.

  49. We have lived on wooded acreage for over 30 years and this year seems to be abundant in the acorn department. They are so thick on the ground. We can't remember a year where we had so many. I've heard that it is a sign of a hard winter. Don't know if it is true -only time will tell. At lease the squirrels will have plenty to eat!

  50. I get worm-y acorns, too. I did forage last week. A neighbor has a Sweet Gum tree- locally called China Ball and I collected the prickly droppings that look like tiny maces. I may spray paint some silver.

  51. A squirrel got into my attic one year, chewed through the plastic baggie and made a mess of my stored acorns. I haven't done that again. Ours are about half bald and half not. The caps do come off after awhile unless you glue them on.

  52. Healthy Branscoms says

    I love your blog. I became a follower! Erin

  53. Your acorns are so pretty. I love decorating with acorns and pinecones, both easy to find and such a pretty way to bring a little bit of the outdoors in.

  54. The Real Me! says

    Okay, let's see, where do I start. LOL!
    First of all, worse case scenario you could have hot glued your little tops back on your naked acorns IF you hadn't found the perfect little specimens some where else. I'm just sayin'.
    Second, I do believe you have a slight problem but we'll talk about that later, in private, when I come to visit. LOL!
    Have a lovely day girlfriend.
    Kim

  55. Stevie from GardenTherapy.ca says

    Not weird at all. I have a collection of all sorts of things I have found that are just too beautiful to leave on the side of the road: pinecones, leaf skeletons, dried Chinese lantern flowers. Totally get it!

  56. Enjoyed reading this post. I like the acorns too, as they really convey the feeling of fall. A few weeks back I came across a cute idea on the blog "Six in the Suburbs" for making chocolate and peanut butter acorns. I made some and shared them with two friends who were having dinner parties. One friend used them to decorate each dinner plate and the other friend used them to accent her dessert tray. Here is the link:
    http://sixinthesuburbsblog.blogspot.com/2011/10/chocolate-peanutbutter-acorns.html
    They are very cute and easy to make!

  57. The ones you bought on
    Amazon look perfect…but in
    reading a review on another
    acorn product, they claimed
    maggots developed. There
    was no review on the ones
    that look like yours. Are
    your natural or artificial?
    Really like them, but would
    like to hear from you, lovely lady….Many thanks.
    Gentility

  58. We gathered up a ton of acorns to bring back & ship to Donna @ Brynwood Needleworks. Then I started noticing little ugly worms here & there … then more. Yuck! It was from the acorns. Our they went in the trash. Hope you have better success than we.

    Love your tablescape for the porch.

    Have a beautiful week ~
    TTFN ~
    Marydon

  59. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Gentility, the ones I bought on Amazon were real. They came in a package of 75. I don't see them on Amazon now, they may have sold out since I provided the link in that past post. But if you go to Amazon and search for Acorns, lots more pop up that are available for sale. The ones I bought were around $12, as I recall…and you got 75 acorns.
    Hope this helps.

  60. Joselyn @ The DIY Spot says

    I find that amazing and you certainly am not weird. But I think your experience is more about staying in the present moment and recognizing nature's beauty. Love your acorns. I wish I had an oak tree like that in my neighborhood.

  61. hilary@oldhousetruelove says

    so sweet and cozy.

  62. Susan (Between Naps on the Porch) says

    Jodi, thanks for the link. Those are adorable…and they look easy to make. I have to remember that!

  63. I just found you today. Wow, I have been missing out. Lots of great post and ideas.
    I have been looking for ideas for my Daughters, out side fall wedding. I have a small budget but would love to have beautiful, tasteful decorations for her to remember, for the rest of her life. We are trying to keep it simple but have a big impact. I think I can use some of your decorating ideas for our fall wedding.
    Looking at your beautiful things, is making my dreams come true for a brief moment. If you have any fall wedding ideas I would be so very grateful.
    Thanks so very much

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