Ah… October…. the month of the “Fall”iday season!!! Here in Canada we have Thanksgiving on the first Monday of the month, and of course, Hallowe’en on the 31st.
And in this town, the neighbours are starting to get into the spirit
For some it’s a simple as a mum, a bale of straw and a couple of pumpkins…
Or even several pumpkins.
The Presbyterian church up the game with a few corn stalks as well.
And I love this house, with the leaves around the door (and mums and pumpkins of course!)
But another house is already invoking the spookier side with a few strategically placed cobwebs and some caution tape.
And this place has just gone whole hog with ghosts and ghouls hanging from every possible spot!
At the moment, all I have are my mums, but after Thanksgiving on Monday, I’ll be digging out my skeleton collection and spooking up the front gardens.
On Saturday, while digging bulb holes in the catio, I unearthed something curious.
Because of it’s greenish colour, and the fact I literally dug it up, the first thing that came to my mind was a cicada. I had no idea what they looked like underground, but I knew they lived underground for a good part of their lives, and I’ve seen their “shells” left behind so it seemed a logical conclusion to me.
I posted the pics in a Nature Facebook group I belong to, and was immediately corrected. It was not a cicada at all – but a Monarch butterfly in it’s chrysalis!!!!
How it ended up buried is still a mystery. It was directly under the mulberry tree in the catio… that makes sense as it’s the tree nearest the milkweed. (So very good chance it was one of my caterpillars!!!). The wind, rain, me or a cat could have knocked it off. But how it got buried…? It wasn’t terribly far down, but still.
Regardless of how it got there, the internets advised me to try and hang it back up, and keep an eye on it. They said it still looked viable, and there was a chance it could still hatch.
So I did. And yesterday afternoon… things started to happen!
The chrysalis had become clear and you could see the monarch wings. It started to crack around the top, ever so slowly and I watched and watched and watched. Eventually I had to take a bathroom break and when I came back…
It was gone! Only the top of the chrysalis remained. I panicked, because while waiting I had done a little researching and that’s NOT what’s supposed to happen. They are supposed to come out of the bottom then hang from the chrysalis while they unfurl their wings.
I got down on my hands and knees and scoured the ground, praying I hadn’t stepped on it. It took about 10 minutes, but I finally found it.
It was squirming pretty good, so I carefully picked it up and brought it to the safety of the sun porch.
I learned that it’s best not to help them out of the chrysalis. Their struggles help them build their muscles needed for flight. So I sat, and waited. As soon as it got those wings free, I gently picked up what was left of the chrysalis, and got it into a hanging position (like it would have been if it was still in the tree).
After a few moments, it reached up and clung onto my fingers. And there it hung for about 20 minutes or so while it unfurled its wings.
At this point I was able to tell that it was a she…. there’s no black spot in the middle of the black vein on the hindwing.
When I was sure she was strong enough, I put her in the tree so she could finish firming up her wings.
She spent the next few hours hanging and stretching
Now she’ll be winging her way to Mexico. I’m so happy I got to be a small part of her incredible journey!
There was no rest for the wicked this weekend. While Saturday was spent putting plants (or bulbs) outside, Sunday was spent bringing plants in.
It was time to bring the house plants in. Normally I wait until Thanksgiving weekend (Canadian Thanksgiving that is), but with the weather turning so cold so quickly, I decided it would be prudent to bring them in a little early.
And that seems like a pretty easy job… but I’ve got A LOT of houseplants. I’ve never actually counted, but if I had to guess, I suspect it would be somewhere around 100.
Add to that the need to hang some shelves, rearrange some furniture, repot about half the plants, and inspect and clean leaves and stems (I’ve got a few cases of scale and mealy bugs)… and it turned into an all day affair.
I worked from 11 am to about 5:30 pm…. and I called it a day. There’s still a few plants out there – six hanging plants that have to wait until Dave installs some hooks for me, and a handful that need repotting. But I was just too tired to finish it up, so instead I took Dave out to dinner.
When we got back, I took pictures.
After last winter, Dave asked that I not clutter up the lower living room by putting all the plants in one spot this year. So I spent the summer collecting plant stands and deciding where everything will go. Happily, there are several big windows in this house.
Now the livingroom has just this small stand (which was the one we found at the used store – Dave painted it up nice for me), as well as my Monstera and Yucca tree in big pots.
And there’s also one little corner stand.
Happily, the spider plants I have to keep out of reach from the cats, and this stand is ideal for that.
In the upper living room, I added a few more plants to the window sill, and on and around the Ikea table.
And yes, the open space on the table is for the cats. Normally, there’s a little quilted runner there for them, but it was in the wash.
There was one empty corner of that room, but it doesn’t get much light. I repurposed my grow station. It’s ideal for my succulents and cacti that need lots of light. I’m not sure if I’ll start more seeds come spring, but if I do, I’ll have to do some rearranging.
I ordered this stand from Amazon several weeks back. I love how it echoes the rise of the stairs. It will look even nicer when we have the walls and floors finished.
My studio has a west facing window, and as such, the room gets a lot of light. It’s ideal for plants, so I got Dave to hang a couple shelves for me.
And last… it took some rearranging (we had a fair bit of the furniture from grandma’s house in the way), but I also made space in front of the dining room window.
Grandma’s old tea cart, and another little wooden stand keep these beauties in the light. This window is north facing, so I put my orchid collection. The kitchen window is north facing, and my little yellow orchid has been living there very happily since we moved. In fact, it just started blooming again!
And before I go…
My Lifesaver Cactus has bloomed! You can see there’s another bud beside it, but there’s also a smaller one hiding behind it too! I just love this plant, and more so now that it’s bloomed! A huge thanks to Delight Hands for sharing pictures of hers and inspiring me to get one!
As I hoped, the weather has been wonderful this weekend. Sunny and warm, with beautiful clear skies.
Perfect weather to do a little planting.
Over the last couple of weeks, I’ve been collecting bulbs. And of course, I still had some that I’d brought from the townhouse. After they bloomed in spring, I bagged them all up, waiting to replant them. If you do you math, and add in the ones I already had…. it’s well over 300 bulbs that needed to be put in the ground.
It took all afternoon, but I managed it. It’s going to be one heck of a spring show!
Here we are on October 1st…. the year just flying by!
On the first day of fall, Mother Nature flipped a switch and we went from summer to autumn in an instant. The days are lucky to make it above 20 Celsius, and the nights are down right chilly. We haven’t turned the heat on yet, but only because I’m stubborn and have lots of sweaters and quilts.
I try to make it to November 1st without having to turn the furnace on… but it’s hard to say if I’ll make it this year. It’s usually a little warmer than this at the beginning of October.
The last week has been mostly rain (where was it all summer???), and since the nights haven’t made it quite to freezing (though it’s been close a couple of nights), the yard is still bright and green, and there’s still lots in bloom.
The catio garden is still pure garden chaos. While I was at Mom’s last weekend, Dave had to bring the cats in at night. Apparently, Relic was being stubborn, and Dave had to chase him around the catio yard. According to him… this garden is too “cluttered”, and the plants were trying to trip him up as he tried to get Relic in the house. I have to admit, you do have to watch your step, but I can’t help but smile when I’m out there, cluttered or not. (Though changes are in store for next year).
Hopefully as you’re reading this, I’m outside planting spring bulbs. There wasn’t a lot of spring colour this year, but now that the main beds are in, next spring is going to be very different.
The roses had a hard summer this year. The heat and the drought are not ideal, and several of the plants weren’t in the best condition when I bought them.
Chrysler Imperial (Red) performed the best, but it had to battle Sawfly larvae all season (you can see the bites they’ve taken out of the petals). I didn’t get a tonne of blooms from the roses out back, but Good as Gold (Yellow) fared the best. Both Chrysler and Red are enjoying some last blooms in the cooler days. I hope the others have put down good roots, and will have a better year next year.
One of my biggest delights was the Honeysuckle. I thought Honeysuckle bloomed once a year and that was it. But this one has bloomed on an off all summer, and it’s STILL blooming! I expect this will be the last for it, but what a treat it’s been. It’s grown right to the top of the catio in just one season, and I hope next year it fills in more, and provides some shade for the kitties as they play.
Another wonder has been this Thunbergia. I bought it on a whim at the hardware store back in June. I hung it on the side porch and it’s brought a smile to my face every time I go out. I love it’s cheery yellow flowers, and the way it’s just grown and grown and grown. Sadly, it’s an annual here, so I’ll have to see if I can get another one next year.
Above are a few late-bloomers. Blue Delphinium, Globe Thistle, and New England Aster. The first two were among the plants I bought in mid-summer, and the Aster is another of my new native plant collection. All should be even more spectacular next year.
Unless we get a good, hard frost, all the current bloomers should hang on for a few more weeks at least. But there’s no denying the end of garden season is coming.
The Toad Lilies have started to bloom and that’s always a sign the season is coming to and end. But we’ll enjoy every minute for however long it lasts.
Well… yesterday WAS supposed to be the last finished quilt for the week, but….
I had a few extra chandelier blocks leftover. It didn’t take much effort to make a couple more and cut up some more setting triangles for a Burton-sized version.
In fact, it was together, quilted and binding attached in no time. Since it was so small, I just did some straight line, stitch (mostly) in the ditch quilting. I don’t quilt on my own machine often, and it was good practice. It was also a good reminder of why I love that Mom bought the longarm!!!
Burton and I spent an evening hand-sewing the binding down.
You will note that he is on top of my Chandelier quilt, and under his during this process. Since the quilt was small, it was ready for a little photoshoot by morning.
It’s about 24″ x 36″ and it’s just the perfect size for their little chaise. And doesn’t it just look so cute draped over the end???
Burton is certainly pleased with it, but now he says he needs a Christmas one too!!!!
The final quilt in this week’s quilt parade is the one that MINE ALL MINE!!!
As noted before, the fabric line is Kitty Corn, and the pattern is Chandelier. When I first saw the fabric last year, I instantly fell in love with it.
There was just something about those vintage kitties. And the colours… I loved how they were Hallowe’enish, but in a very, non-traditional way. I instantly knew I wanted to make the Chandelier quilt with it.
My version is a little longer, but not as wide as the original pattern, but it’s a great quilt for throwing over my legs while sitting with my feet up in my recliner.
The fat quarte bundle came with a panel piece that included some quilt labels, so I took advantage and added one to the back. And that backing fabric… not part of the Kitty Corn line… but the colours are almost an exact match. And of course, it’s not just a plaid, but a diagonal plaid which thrills me to no end!
The fat quarter bundle was quite large, and with the panel it included, I have enough for another quilt. So there will another Kitty corn quilt in my future… but probably not until NEXT Hallowe’en!
Next up in this week’s finished quilt parade is the biggest. The behemoth of a wedding quilt…
The pattern is the Layer cake version of Moda Love, and as written, it comes out to 72 inches square. I added a few more borders to get it up to a respectable 92″ square.
With the exception of the black fabric and the backing, it’s all made with batiks in nature prints – trees, flowers, butterflies, snowflakes, etc.
When I first imagined this quilt, I had planned on something very traditional with blues and creams. When I couldn’t find what I envisioned in my head, I moved onto the idea of using batiks. And when I finally got them in my hand, I knew they had to be done with a black background.
It’s definitely not the traditional quilt I envisioned, but I think it suits the bride’s personality more. The wedding is in November, and unfortunately, I’m not going to be able to make it. But I’m going to get this into the mail, along with my best wishes ASAP.
Hopefully it’s a good consolation prize to my presence on their special day.
I made it to Mom’s for the weekend, and got all my quilting done (more to come this week). But there was an extra special highlight of the weekend too.
One of the pups Jem had last summer was adopted by a friend of my Dad. He came by for a visit on Saturday and brought the pup (Rebel) with him.
Now, just over a year old, Rebel is almost full grown (he’s tall and lanky, but still has some filling out to do).
Of course, Jem was thrilled to have a visitor, and the pair of them were just full of beans. As you can see, it’s hard to tell them apart. Rebel (the one with the chain collar) is taller, and skinnier, but when they are playing they are both just big, black blurs.
He visited for a couple hours, and I wanted to get at least one picture of the pair of them side by side. Unfortunatley that was not going to happen. So you have to settle for this pair of pictures.
JemRebel
It was quite the visit and Ms. Jem was pretty tuckered out for the rest of the day.
Wandering Cat Studio 