Frogs

Last night while I was cleaning the kitchen this guy stopped for a few minutes to watch me and then he was off to chase down a crane fly.

Cooler Mornings

It's only the first week of October and my mind is already turning to thoughts of indoor projects. YUCK!

The Poison Oak on all hillsides is turning red, the Maples and Ash are changing. We've covered the debris pile so it stays dry for our annual bonfire on Samhain.

My leaf lettuce patch is ready to cut. I'll be bagging it to share with friends and co-workers today.

 It's time to move the little hen and her baby out of the dogs house and into the chicken coop with the other birds.

The Lantana has slowed down with the cooler nights, I'll hate to see it go.

The herb garden has gone wild, it's time to cut it all back and get one last growth of fresh tips before the frosts come.

It's time to collect seeds to overwinter so I'll be ready to start it all again in the early spring. The wood has been cut, chopped and stacked. Sometimes on very cool mornings I can smell the smoke from wood stoves already put to use in our valley. I'm wearing sweatshirts and heavier socks on those mornings I just can't bring myself to start a fire and I refuse to turn up the thermostat for the furnace.

Early Fall

I can't walk through the yard without stepping on a frog, they are every where, at night it sounds like we are living in a swamp.This morning while I was making my first cup of coffee I watched one climb across my kitchen window.

I've quit fertilizing the garden pots it will be time to take them all down soon. They've been beautiful all summer but the days have shortened and the nights have cooled down. The annuals are losing their vigor and most of the perennials are past their bloom seasons. The asters and mums are bringing the best color to the yard now, the roses are still putting out the occasional bloom and the dahlias along the Bocce court are beautiful.

It's time to clean the potting shed/greenhouse and get it ready for winter. I will set up a propagation bed, there are several roses around the county that I will take cuttings from to propagate over the winter. The fiberglass roof needs to be replaced it's started leaking in a couple places. I guess it will have to last another year we're building a deer fence this winter.

 This boy has been visiting the garden all summer. He has picked every leaf off the pepper plants. He will take a bite out of the peppers and then leave them, he's even tasted the jalapenos. He hasn't decided if he likes the tomatoes, he waits until they are just starting to turn red he pulls them off the plant takes a single bite and leaves them on the ground.

I had the opportunity to get to the Swan Island Dahlia Festival this year and found several new dahlias I want for my garden. I'm limiting myself to eight new plants.