Here’s a cute photo of Blackie, our sweet kitty who lives in a shed with Milo (b/c I’m allergic to them), the gray striped older kitty with white boots. Blackie’s brother, the black and white spotted kitty in earlier photos, disappeared not long after we got him. We can all well imagine what happened. We hope Blackie’s cautious nature will protect her. Here’s a cute photo of Blackie and Milo:

Fall is a contemplative season. I can’t help but take stock of all that has happened while cleaning the garden and walking amid the drying weeds and grasses. We have only lived here for two and a half seasons and yet the place seems to call out to us as is evidenced by the A tree. “A” for Anne and Alan.

And while the leaves have fallen from the trees and the grasses dried in the fields, more wonders have revealed themselves. Wonders that take me back to my childhood as I waded through thickets of poison ivy to find the green puff ball fungus growing on damp old wood. This kind of treasure would have occupied my young self for hours.

I do like the Fall. Maybe it’s the drabness of the color. Or maybe it’s the notion that as all the plants are going dormant, so too can we take a break and relax for a moment. Or maybe it makes me feel younger that I already am. Or maybe I just like wearing flannel shirts.

Whatever the reason, I wish these little seeds the best. Hope to see more milkweed around here in the Spring.

Sorry if this offends any of our more sensitive readers. But sometimes nature can play rough.

And check out the size of this thing! Moles back in Ohio were maybe 1/3 this size. Anne is creeped out by their human-like hands. They are pretty creepy.

Burdock is an invasive weed that produces massive leaves that somewhat resemble rhubarb. But it’s not rhubarb. Later in the fall, the plant shoots up a powerfully long and woody stalk. This stalk is covered in burrs holding all the seeds for next season. We have been trying to burn much of the pods, but I fear it’s a lost cause. Next year we will need to spray or otherwise kill them. They do add a nice texture to the fall landscape though.

We planted these peas along with a salvaged bed frame in late September I think. I can’t really remember when we planted them, but it seemed somewhat likely we would have enough time before the really heavy frost would come.

Things were going quite well for a long time. Even when the frost came, we were careful about covering the peas and several other late transplants. But then, I think we missed a day or two. They have been suffering from the cold. Some of the leaves look to be damaged. But there is always a chance we might still get to eat a fresh sweet pea this year. Hope springs eternal as we fall into winter.

We’ve had some nice weather the last couple weekends. This, coupled with the Fall garden clean up, inspired Anne to start clearing off an old cement foundation by the old chicken coop. Lots of old stuff around here. I wonder sometimes what might have once stood in this spot. Anne wonders what kinds of bulbs and herbs and other plants would enjoy being planted within the cracks. It’s a really nice little spot. It will be interesting see what develops next year.

Anne started to make some progress on removing the old burn pile. It’s been one of those nagging projects that seems better suited for the next day — always tomorrow. There was quite a bit of un-burned crap. The former owner loved his busch lite and baked beans. But then, who doesn’t, right?

Anne’s mom has a corkscrew willow at her place and we have tried in the past to root cuttings from it. We are trying again. You can’t tell from this picture, but the limbs of this tree twist and curl. Assuming they live. We are operating under the assumption that all willows enjoy moist, even soggy soil. I planted three groups of cuttings.

The other nice thing about willows is their speedy growth rate. Although, I’ve read the corkscrew to be among the slower growers in the willow family – at least until it is established. Still, if they live, I think we can expect to see something at least four feet tall next year. I’m also hoping that with more trees down in that part of the yard, the ground won’t be quite so soggy. We’ll see.

With all the frosts, I started to worry about the sweet potatoes. Actually I was a bit worried they were going to produce at all… it’s just so hard to know what is happening underground. I want a transparent garden floor, or x-ray vision. But since neither of these were immediately attainable, I settled for digging. And I pleasantly discovered the sweet potatoes had been very busy producing quite a bit of root.

We planted three different varieties: Georgia Jet, Vardaman, and Beauregard. If we had them labeled correctly the GJ’s were red skinned, the V were orange and the B were somewhere inbetween. These and more varieties with description on www.sweetpotatoplant.com. The V were most split, the GJ were the heaviest producers, but they might have gotten a head start on the others and the B were tightly bunched. We are eating a variety for dinner tonight so I’ll need to wait to talk about taste.

Milo, the cat, is looking in the window. A better picture of milo on Flickr at the right.

Hey everyone! It’s that fun time of year when the boxelder bugs come and visit our humble little home.

Ain’t they the cutest?! That little red racing stripe — too much! They are not nearly as bothersome as the crickets were earlier this summer. And they don’t buzz and smack into lights like flies and multi-colored asian lady beetles. They might just be the best bug ever. But still, there are too many.

Out comes the vacuum. Now, who wants to wash these filthy windows?