After reading my post on Burton’s ‘thrones” earlier this week, I’m sure a few of you think I’m a little silly. I mean, why buy furniture for the cats. We all know ALL the furniture already belongs to the cats
And that’s certainly true in this house!
These guys have enjoyed the sun porch furniture far more than I’ve had the opportunity to do this year.
Even the furniture that’s supposed to be off limits isn’t
Though these two inform me that they are not on the dining room table, they are on the chair pads that I left on the table after washing them.
Of course, this behaviour is not at all surprising to me. They are cats afterall. What is surprising is that Dave is ok with it. Because he never used to be!!!
Though he says once he refinishes the table, and it goes into operation as a proper dining room table (right now it’s mostly storage for transient items), it will once again become a no-go zone for felines. We’ll see how well that works out…
I know you’re going to be aghast…. but I have been working on the great, grey beast!
I’ve been trying to at least put five rounds on it every night. I haven’t been completely successful, but I have managed to add a few inches to it though. There’s still several inches to go before I can start the ribbing, so I have to keep at it. With only 12 weeks to Dad’s birthday, I’ve got to stay focused!
I know it’s been ages since I’ve had a walkabout post. I’d like to say it’s finally happening because I’ve started walking regularly again – but I haven’t. The longest walk I do is to the post office and back a couple times a week. (And if I don’t have a lot of time, I drive).
But when I was picking up the mail the other day, I noticed something post worthy.
Someone had painted up a little rainbow rock and placed it in the window of the township office! How cute!
Then I found another one in the mail room
Adorable!
The back of the the crab rocks advertises a Facebook group called Alvinston Rocks. I’ve joined the group. I don’t know if I’ll paint up any rocks (I’d love to, but I have too many demands on my time right now), but it certainly makes me want to go for more walks to see if I can find some more!
In addition to cleaning the shed and porch, Saturday also saw us take a trip to town. It was originally just to pick up a couple of prescriptions, but Dave realized we were early enough for us to hit our favourite Used store before they closed for the day, so we took a slight detour.
We’ve offered to host the family Christmas this year (our first year ever), and one thing we need is some more (comfortable) seating if we are going to entertain (There will be about 10 people including us). With the two-level living room, we have more than enough room. But the futon on the upper-level is way past it’s usable life, so I’ve been thinking of getting a couple of chairs or a couch to replace it.
We got a good start on that Saturday with this find
There’s some wear on the arms, but otherwise, it’s in great condition. And I can make some nice covers for the arms. It’s a La-Z-boy too, so it reclines. Now that we have this, I’m thinking a nice loveseat will complete the space. We’re still on the look-out for that, but I’m sure the right thing will turn up before Christmas. Dave wants to visit all our favourite used places regularly.
Naturally, as soon as it was brought in the house, it was thoroughly inspected. And Poor Lemmy was ousted in short order. King Burton has claimed it as his throne and new regular evening nap spot.
But the recliner wasn’t the only thing we brought home…
Yep – another throne for Burton. A cute little cat-sized (or child-sized, if you’re into that sort of thing) wicker chair – just perfect for the Sun porch and my collection of rattan and wicker decor out there. I do need to make a cushion for this one – I’ll probably do it when I make the one for his bassinet.
In the meantime, I think he looks rather regal – don’t you?
On Saturday, I spent most of the day on a long-overdue cleanout and reorganization of the shed. It needed to be done so I could move a bunch of stuff off the back porch and get it cleaned because on Sunday, best friend Samantha and her lovely husband were coming for a visit.
And come they did, bringing along their youngest, Ethan, who isn’t so young anymore! He’s in Grade 11 and I can’t believe it. I should believe it, because he’s a year older than Rowan… but I can barely she’s as old as she is!
It was a wonderful visit, as always. Though I didn’t take one single picture! There was a lot of talking and laughing, just as there should be.
I did get some knitting done.
The fishing sock is now at the gusset.
Sam also brought me a wee present… or several wee presents..
They are tiny little plant pots! Aren’t they cute!
I hink this one is my favourite
At first, I thought he was a skunk, but he doesn’t have a big skunk tail. I think he’s actually a badger. Whatever he is, he’s darn cute!
And now I need to get several new wee little plants!
I’ve mentioned that my poor roses have had a bit of a hard year. With sawfly larvae, Japanese Beetles and Aphids.
I’m on my own with the first two, but with the last one I have a little help…
The wonderful Ladybug! I’m always thrilled when I see these guys on my plants. They are such helpful, and cute, little creatures.
This year seemed to be a really good year for them. I didn’t know why until I talked to my neighbour. Apparently he ordered a whole pile in early summer and released them in his veg garden for pest control. But he was a little disappointed in the result, as they didn’t seem to stick around. We had a good laugh when I told him the all came over to party in my yard instead.
And, they must really like it here, because not only did they stick around…
They made babies! Believe it or not, these little creepy looking guys are Ladybug larvae! And they will eat 10 times as many aphids as the ladybugs will!!! This is the first time I’ve ever seen them in my garden, and I’m thrilled.
The trick to having a wonderful fall garden is knowing your plants. Learning when plants bloom, and for how long.
Flowers like Irises, Allium, Bleeding Hearts, and Poppies only bloom for a short while, then they are done for the year. Those are all spring/early summer plants, but the fall has some too.
Like the Toad Lilies. These guys are nothing but leaves until September (and sometimes October, depending on their light conditions). But then bam – those cooler nights hit and they start popping out small speckled blooms all over the place.
These guys are all in the Catio, but they’ve multiplied like crazy. Next spring, I’m going to move half of them to the Woodland garden.
I planted another type of Toad Lily in Willow Grove this spring, but I probably won’t see blooms on it until next year.
The Asters could be lumped in with the other “seasonal bloomers”. Like the Toad Lilies, they don’t start blooming until after the new School year starts.
But where the Toad Lilies will slowly fizzle out, these guys will keep blooming until the frost gets them – which here could be any time in October or November – it’s really unpredicatable.
On the left is my New England Aster – a native plant. The right is a new pink Aster I picked up from the garden centre last week…. because we all know I have a serious plant addition and even autumn won’t stop me from collecting new plants.
But back to plant lesson…
There are of course, the fall standards…
Autumn Joy sedum, which the bees just love
The Black-Eyed Susan and Purple Coneflower. Both of these really get going in August.
But Coneflowers come in a variety of colours and styles, with many blooming both summer AND fall
These are just two of my collection – I also have white, yellow, a couple differing pinks, and even green!
And lets not forget the native coneflowers
Like their cousins, they start flowering mid summer and just keep going.
And the varieties of Susans are always pleasing too.
These ones are called Cherry Brandy and they seeded themselves all over the place last year. I’ve moved quite a few to other gardens, bringing colour to every corner.
Deadheading is another good way to keep some plants flowering through the fall.
Cosmos are a wonderful example. Lop the seedheads off often, and these guys will keep going until the frost takes them down.
And don’t neglect your annuals
Dahlias, Gerberas and Petunia love the cooler nights and warm fall days. I find the Petunias are usually spectacular by September because they’ve had all summer to spread out and grow! (All of these can benefit from deadheading too)
But the fall garden can often bring suprises
Like daisies that decided to rebloom. I can tell you this is the first year I’ve ever had that happen. They are normally an early summer bloomer and then that’s it! I did give them a big chop mid-summer to tidy them up. I do that with the Delphiniums, and that makes them rebloom – so maybe it’s the same for the daisies?
And I always understood that clematis have one bloom season (some are spring, some are fall)
But this purple clematis has been blooming on and off all year since late May!
And this Red (orange) Hot Poker was a nice late-comer
I planted five of these throughout the gardens, and only this one has grown and bloomed.
There’s something wonderful for everyone to enjoy in a fall garden if you plan it, and plant it right!
On the long weekend, Burton and I tackled a long over-due cleanout on the closet.
We sorted through all my clothes and ended up with three garbage bags full, ready for donation.
A few days later, Dave and I dropped them off at Goodwill and then we went into to see what they had for “home goods”. You know we love good vintage finds around here!
Nothing jumped out at me except for this:
A wicker doll bassinet for just $5. (A super steal if you’ve seen what these things can go for on FB marketplace!). I didn’t have a doll to put in it…
But, I do have a Burton!!!! Yes, I totally bought a doll bassinet for my cat! And he LOVES it!
It came with a little pillow and a thin blanket, but I’m going to make a proper soft mattress for it… and a quilt of course!
I was looking back through some photos, and I thought you’d all like to see some before and after of the Edible Alley
That first picture was taken in mid-May. The second just last week. That’s only abut 4.5 months worth of growth! Amazing.
Now that the tomatoes have started ripening…
They aren’t stopping! I bring in a basketful every day. And as many of you predicted – it looks like they are Roma tomatoes. Certainly NOT the grape tomatoes they were supposed to be!
I’ve found quite a few that have been munched on…
But there’s definitely more than enough to share with a few night-time raiders.
I am absolutely thrilled with my first attempt at growing squash vertically.
The ladder has proved to be a fantastic support and I have several squashes in various stages of development.
I picked and ate that smaller one on the right the other night and it was delicious! The other ones need more time, but I’m definitely looking forward to enjoying them!
I continue to enjoy shooting around my yard with the long lens.
The squirrels are in full gathering mode, and there are quite a few walnut trees around us. This is a pretty common site, but it never fails to crack me up.
And these two look like they are sharing secrets.
The cardinals at the townhouse were quite social and easy to get pictures of. But the ones here have been exceedingly elusive! But I finally got both Mr. Cardinal…
and Mrs. Cardinal…
They’ve been doing a lot of singing together lately, and I love seeing them in the yard together.
The bluejays are the easiest to get photos of…
Just fill that peanut ring and they appear!
Dave does not enjoy the noises they make, but I think they are delightful!
And while it’s not the best photo…
I did manage to snap a hummingbird! These guys LOVE to come around when I don’t have the camera handy. And they move so fast, even if I do, it’s near impossible to focus on them before they move again!
It thrills me how good the camera is for getting pictures of tiny creatures.
This pretty little spider was making a web on the flowers of one of the new hostas. He almost looks like he’s made of glass.
From grasshoppers…
To crickets…
To praying mantises…
To tiny butterflies (Checkered Skipper)
To black-bummed Carpenter Bees
The camera lets me see them in a way I never could with the naked eye.
