weather patterns

The new weather patterns persist: it's mid September and the nights are dark early, the mornings are cold, we've had our first frost and the leaves are just beginning to change color. In fact, in my neighborhood the leaves are still resolutely green. this is different--generally by this time of year, fall is more established as far as color changes go. This is what was described to me as a native Lobelia. Generally when plants are described as "native" you can expect them to grow widely in all directions and put up roots seven houses away. So far this plant has behaved fairly well and the flowers are like the Lobelia's second cousin, once removed.

The Colchicums are blooming and charming as always. I love the way they simply appear on a fall morning and stick around until they fear frostbite and then quietly slip back into the earth for another season. Soon it will be time to pack things away and winter-proof the awnings. The trick is to find a day when your fingers aren't blue and stiff with cold. Or find a strong helper with calloused winter-resistant hands. I like the latter choice.

Now That Was a Strange Summer

I'm not complaining about the summer. We endured one or two mini tornadoes (not so mini to the people who suffered trees crashing into their kitchens)but never a direct hit on my house. Lots and lots of rain and just enough sunshine to remind us we're happy to not be sweltering. This combination didn't do much for my garden plot. The spinach washed out three times so I stopped planting it A few tomatoes struggled through and left a small but satisfying harvest. The beans were fine but the peppers never got past the starting line and the strawberries decided to wait for next year The bird feeders hang from an iron garden arch where roses merge with the trumpet vine. Somehow it works. Sometime during the lamentable growing season, I planted a pumpkin vine in that combo and what do you know--a pumpkin is actually thriving. That's the wonder of it all--you spend the winter planning and sketching garden plots and buying seeds. The actual growing part is hit and miss, at least in my little piece of heaven. The birds and rabbits seem to like it here and soon we'll have pumpkin pie. Come to thin of it, it was a beautiful summer.

Micro Harvest Time

 My favorite blogs are displaying  lavish bounties of fruit and veggies with  not a weed in sight.
What can I say? Some of us have such plans but the actual product doesn't quite add up to expectations
Tiny as it is,  I'm thrilled with my harvest. Why yesterday I yanked out three bunches of garlic and they are curing nicely on the picnic table.
I've racked up four- score plus years and don't feel two score of them, but I must admit it takes longer to get things done.
Now about that picture above.
Two years ago I planted the baby peach tree and the yield was rather slim, mostly because of the little rodents who took a bite out of each peach.
This year I fastened netting to the tree and it kept marauders out but sadly, also damaged some bird's wings.
No more nylon netting

Every family has a resident chipmunk. Chip-punk, as my daughter calls them.
This little guy waited patiently to see what I would leave for him and a few morsels dropped at this feet.

If I am lucky enough to move to the new family compound, okay, a small house with large expectations,  I plan to sit majestically on the deck and instruct my flesh and blood to do the scut work.

I have such lovely plans.

Family Togetherness

I can't remember how far back the idea came to me; it probably began  twenty-odd years ago at a gathering of all  my six grown kids and their mates when we drove from our various home provinces to a designated meeting spot in Alberta.

I related my dream to buy a big property somewhere where each of us would build a house.
Our own family compound. After a couple glasses of wine, everyone thought the idea had merit.

During the years some scattered to the west and some of us ended up in Kitchener, Ontario, but variations of the dream stayed alive with a few of us. We agreed on this--we love to be together but we also crave time alone, with doors shut.

As a test, we have been meeting at my place for years on Saturday night for dinner and although it isn't mandatory some or all show up and we have a good time.

In a crisis we are one solid front and do whatever is required.

We began searching for triplexes, huge old turn-of the-century behemoths and derelict farms.I can't recall why we thought the last two were a good idea.

One day, the light bulb turned on really, really bright in the head of son #3, who  owns a smallish seventy-year old house that he has been tinkering with since he bought it. Relax, he's a professional carpenter.
There is a self-contained basement apartment, a self-contained main floor and a top floor slowly being turned into  a two-room plus bathroom and kitchen area

Son #2 has asked me many times to take over the main floor and all of a sudden it seemed a good idea.

His wife is happily  light years away from being domestic and her life is complete if she has space to do her fabulous Thai cooking and  brush her teeth, and she says the upper floor is fine with her.

Son #1 has always been a hermit of sorts and he would be happy with the basement one-bedroom plus common room with kitchen area and bathroom. He  works in  #3's carpentry business and lives with them five days a week, then commutes on week ends to his recently-sold house a two-hour drive away.

So that leaves us with one son and his wife on the top floor, me on the main floor, another son in the lower level and there is a  grandson currently living with me who will always be welcome if he chooses to come along for the fun.

Now that we have this plan pretty well set, there are some hurdles such as getting city planning approval for the necessary renovation, selling my house and all of us remaining healthy.

In the meantime I thrive on planning, so let the fun begin.

Resident Bunny

One cute little bunny in the garden is sweet, as long as you can forget that the spinach and bean plants are chewed to the nub and you are staring at the culprit. Well, one culprit.

I mean, no one ever heard of a bunny being an only child so there are umpteen others resting out of sight, slowly digesting all those lovely greens.

Oh well, go chew your heart out Bunny, and don't remind me that I should get at the weeding.

How Time Flies

It's been a while.  

An entire winter has come and gone by and it couldn't happen fast enough.

It was so cold the rabbits chewed through every branch in the garden and my saucer magnolia is now two inches tall.

Our sweet Awesome(second from left) traveled home to Bangkok to see her cousin inducted into his two-week stint as a Buddhist monk.

When did Thais start getting so tall? Except for Aw--she claims she's is five-foot three,  but I think it's more like five foot nothing.