On The First Morning Of Solitude

I went for a slow walk in the garden. I thought, now I will have some time to play. What needs doing? That was not to be.

The Rough Bark Japanese maple had the time to turn a fiery orange.

On that first morning, a beam of rising sunlight set the tree ablaze. I walked slower in a stained glass cathedral imagining there was time to play.

Now was not the time. My energy was needed elsewhere. The house next door needed to be turned off for the winter and Solly was coming to live with us. The sisters came to visit and take their mother to Florida. They refused to take her cat. Solly's introduction to her new home had to be well monitored.

Button, Dinah and Solly are acquainted. They have a long hissing history. How was a new cat in the house going to work out?

So far it has been amazingly low drama. Button and Dinah have kept their distance. Solly has parked herself behind the sofa and won't come out. 

The ironweed bloomed white in a beam of early morning sun.

Warming Back Up To Cool

The leaves keep falling.

The barren time draws near.

Button went back out when the cold warmed to cool. There's a squirrel up there. A drift of white asters ignored the freeze.

There is still a chance for some color in the Fothergilla.

My new Georgia aster went back outside. The planting location has been decided.

I'm just going to do that after it finishes blooming so I can enjoy it up close for now.

The Blue Wood Asters survived the freeze almost completely unfazed. The fall crocus are now in bloom.

The Fall Before A Killer Freeze

Fall color was looking mighty good in the Land of the Crooked Shed.

The Fraser Magnolia was in full tobacco leaf apparel.

The blue asters bloomed on in one of the best showings in years.

It was beautiful out there.

A touch on the dry side. Some things couldn't wait for a desiccating freeze.

A killer freeze was on the way.

On the second day, frozen clouds rubbed the treetops, shedding tiny white bits as they headed south. The meadow thinned. The trees shed half their leaves. The mood has shifted.

A Leafy Bloom Day

This is going to be the week of peak leaf peeping. We are off to a very good start.

Starting Tuesday morning, there are going to be three days with lows in the mid 20's. No snow. What will a flash freeze do to the leaves for peeping? Joe Pye will freeze just fine. It's ready.

The Monkshood blue may not fare as well. It is in full bloom.

The Blue Wood Asters are also still in full bloom. A light frost is one thing. Three mornings in the low 20's is another. That is a killer freeze plus.

The trees are turning.

The days are growing short.

The view from my window changes to another form of beauty.

Monet lives on the wind. Bloom Day headquarters is in Indianapolis.

A new aster, Symphyotrichum georgianum followed me home. I don't want to plant it until after the killer freeze. The Georgia Aster is a low population native. Maybe it will like it here. The color purple caught my eye. 

Fall Color Has Arrived

The trees are turning. The leaves are falling. Fall color has arrived. The blue asters are having a massive bloom year. There would be more if the deer didn't eat them.

Farewell Miss Collar. I have been in North Carolina long enough for the full life of a cat. So long, it is time to sign up for Medicare.

Out in the sunshine and cool 60-degree breeze,

Fly away.

Into The Blue Asters

The sun has been out. The meadows are dry.

It has been getting cool enough for me to start preparing the plants that will need to go inside before a freeze.

The cats have been hunting as the vermin hurriedly gather nuts and seeds. Tis the season to put on my orange hat.

It draws me down into the blue asters.

In Monkshood blue.

This is where my ashes go when I am done.

I tinker on

In a moody, ever-changing garden.

A place where the wild animals wander all about. Button. Is that you?

After The Hurricane Waters

The hurricane bits got caught up in the NW flow like a regular cold front. It was 46 degrees with a cold foggy drizzle along the high peaks of the Tennessee border for three full days. It barely rained on the other side of the county.

I need to plant the Paw Paws. I've been waiting for a spurt of energy on a pleasant day.

On the fourth day, the hurricane bits departed.

The blue asters were still there. A touch droopier mind you. They are heavy with bloom.

Dinah came out to hunt.

 Fall is in the air among the blue asters.

Blue dominates with white and yellow backup. How did this happen? Was there a plan?

In Monkshood blue.