The other week, my local grocery store had walnuts in the shell on sale for $1.99/lb.

They are normally $3.49/lb, so I usually only get a little bag (about 1lb, or a dozen or so nuts) each grocery day and ration them out at Squirrelington’s over the week.

But for the sale… I stocked up!

I included my stemless wine glass (filled with sweet Coke) for scale. That’s a lot of walnuts!!!

The next dinner seating at Squirrelington’s looked a little different.

My little patrons listen for the sound of the sliding door to open, so it didn’t take them long to move in.

They will ALWAYS take the walnuts first. Only when they are gone will they touch the peanuts.

This little cutie tried to take two at once. She didn’t manage it and ended up leaving one behind.

And while the squirrels are busy with the walnuts, the jays are swooping in and out, grabbing peanuts. I managed to get quite a few action shots this time.

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

There was, however, one small disruption to the whole preceding. Normally, I take the all the cats out with me when I photograph. It’s never been an issue, because Relic could care less about the visitors; Burton is on a leash, well away from the restaurant patrons; and Rupert’s usually too afraid to do much. Every time a bluejay flies over him, Rupert runs to the door.

That is… until the other day…

Guess who is no longer welcome at Squirrelington’s….

Now don’t get me wrong, I’m not trying to rush fall. Fall is actually my favourite season. But when you’re a gardener, you have to do a little thinking ahead. Especially if you want scads of spring flowers.

I actually wasn’t planning on planting any spring bulbs this year, but then I went into the dollar store and well…

A few bulb packs might have just followed me home. Under the watchful eye of my garden snoopervisor…

The are all planted and awaiting that far off season. I took the crocus and hyacinth bulbs and mixed them up into a bowl, then planted them randomly around the edge of the garden. I then did the same with the tulips and daffodils, only I planted them in the interiors. Now I have no idea what will come up where. It will be a nice surprise come spring.

Hopefully, the little bulb thieves…

Will remember just how well fed they’ve been at Squirrelington’s and leave me at least a few bulbs for spring. At least some of those fancy pink daffodils! I REALLY love those ones!

I don’t need the weatherman to tell me that winter is on it’s way. I’ve got a Rupert…

Once he starts “nesting” I know it’s time to hunker down. (And turn up the heat!)

Ok… so I admit it, part of the reason not much progress was made on the barnyard cardigan was because I’d much rather have been working on these….

… and as you can see, I worked on them so much, that they are now finished. As mentioned in my previous post, they are sport-weight. So even though they are giant man socks, the thicker yarn helped them knit up really fast.

Nothing fancy for the design, just a simple 3-1 rib. When I picked out the yarn from the stash, I wasn’t really thinking about how fall-ish the colour was – I just wanted something manly. But when I took them outside for pictures, I realized how perfect they were for the season.

Especially when you add a few fallen leaves!

I have finished the last of the flannel bear paws and I have to say – I love how they look!

Again, the background flannel is actually navy, but it looks black every time I take a picture. As you can see, it still needs its sashing, and I hope I can find some time to do it sometime this week.

I picked up a nice chunk of plaid flannel for the back on payday, and Burton has already given it his nod of approval.

On another quilting note… Bearbottom Quilts has a facebook page. Burton and I would just love it if you would give us a like and a follow!

One thing I did not manage to accomplish was the finishing of the barnyard cardigan. I really thought I would, but the garden called and so did that new pair of socks and…

I did manage to finish the sleeve cap, but that’s about it. It doesn’t help that this thing is REALLY heavy now. The recipient also wanted relatively snug sleeves, so I’ve gone down a needle size. It’s not too tight, but the knitting doesn’t flow quite like it did on the larger needles. That, coupled with the weight means my hands can only take short knitting session on it.

I think I’m still on track to have it done by the end of the month (and in anticipation, I went out and got buttons for it), so I’m not too upset. But I do have to get it done – I’ve got other projects that need to be done for Christmas, so I’ve got to get moving!

As mentioned, it was time to bring all the house plants in from the patio before the frost hits.

Now our townhouse isn’t very big, and making it more of a challenge is that most of the windows are all on the south side. We have no windows on the east or west, and the north only has three (and one is VERY small). That’s means I’m very limited on places for plants.

And I’m afraid my plant collection probably doubled this summer. That’s in part because the local convenience store kept bringing in sad little cacti, and everytime I stopped to get lottery tickets, I had to rescue them. And of course, being outside means my spider plants spit our babies like crazy… and I can’t just throw them out!

Most of them are now resting comfortably in my studio. I managed to do some purging of craft supplies last week and was able to make some room for them on the shelves that sit under the window there.

All of my “floor” plants are now crowded at the back door.

It’s hard to believe that jade plant (bottom left) was a small cutting just a two years ago. It loves being outside and exploded all over the place!

The rest of the plants fit on my wooden plant stand under the dining room window.

Luckily, it’s nice and big, and can fit at least a couple pots on each shelf.

The biggest challenge was finding a spot for the Mandevilla. It’s at least four feet tall and is a big, bushy tangle of flowering vines.

For now, it’s tucked behind the couch that separates the living room from the dining room. Here it should get enough light from the dining room window. But it’s hard to say how much Burton is going to harass it. Time will tell!

A couple of months ago, I filled out a form on the Canadian Wildlife Federations website to register my little garden space. And the other day, I finally got some exciting mail…

And making your yard wildlife friendly isn’t all that difficult. You don’t need to set up a squirrel-sized restaurant…

Though that certainly doesn’t hurt.

No, it’s more about planting wildlife-friendly plants..

• 

• 

• 

Like coneflowers for the butterflies. And then, leaving the dried up heads as a treat for the finches!

Adding feeders, and maybe a little watering hole helps too.

• 

• 

As does cover plants for creatures small and smaller

• 

• 

The general idea is to make your space welcoming…

The kinds of space where all of nature’s fauna are happy to just hang about!

It’s been 18 years since a that tall, beautifully-maned man of mine walked into my life and turned it upside down.

COVID cases are up in our area, so we’re enjoying some quiet time at home to celebrate (and maybe a little take-out chinese for dinner!) But to me, it doesn’t matter where we are – as long as we are together.

This is the face I get when I won’t put more food in a dish that already has food in it.