In That Same Country...

We stand in the field where the shepherds stood,
But cannot see the wonders they beheld--
The angel’s sunburst might, the joyous shout,
Nostrils and mouth full of burning bush smoke,
The cold wind that tossed their hair--warmed their skin.
We are not convinced that God is with us.
Yet every common thing sings Gloria--
The loving hands that hold another’s hands,
The taste of cold water, warm buttered bread,
Smell of thawing soil under last year’s leaves,
Wind-balancing bird in the silver sky,
The foot-beat song of childhood jump rope rhymes.
The signs are there for those with hands to feel,
For those with ears to hear, with eyes to see.

Christmas Lights

Our winter butterfly...
You can do anything with enough tape!

First Snow

We had the first snow on Wednesday,
and woke yesterday to a changed world.
In the afternoon, my daughter made brief forays
outside to make snow-angels, and to admire
her footprints against those of squirrels and
juncos.

Green, Yellow, Orange, Red!

The Bradford pear trees along the street peaked this week. The leaves closest to the big branches and trunk were still green, but farther distal the colors changed to yellow, orange, red, and finally almost violet at the very tip. Reminiscent of the visible spectrum!

The Last Tomato of Summer

The variety is "Fantastic", as in "That was fantastic!". We ate it up on 21 November--and now have to wait until July for the next one!

American Beech (Fagus grandifolia)

When I was younger, I liked the orange and red autumn leaves best. Now that I'm old (and wiser, I hope), I've come to appreciate the yellows and browns. One of my favorite trees is the beech--very common in the dry woodlands where I live. The bark is a smooth silvery grey, and the branches dip gracefully toward the ground. The leaves are, at all times, of a beautiful color. Almost a fluorescent green in spring, deep delicious green in summer, and fading from bronze to gold to champagne in autumn and winter. A few persist all the way into spring! And--there are beechnuts, too!

Radishes and Mesclun

I planted radishes (for us) and spicy mesclun (for Geoffrey, et al) about 3 weeks ago--and they are up. Something to look forward to!

The Last of the Winter Melon

I brought it in last Wednesday night, before the first hard frost of the season. It weighed 7 lbs! There was some internal damage due to a cutworm, but most of it was excellent. I blanched and froze it, with soup in mind for the cold winter evenings.

Wintermelon Update

It's growing--hee, hee!
I'm not going to give up until the first hard frost.

Chrysanthemums

Perennial chrysanthemum "Clara Curtis". Very late, very prolific, very satisfying. Among the last opportunities for pollinators. I feel satisfaction and gratitude when I look at these!

Our Halloween Pumpkin

Designed by my daughter, and carved by me! We had a very happy night, with lots of trick-or-treaters. Halloween is such a manageable holiday. It starts and ends all on one day; we all enjoy some candy and being frightened in perfect comfort and security!

Concord Grapes

I put in 3 plants two springs ago, against the side of the house, to catch the afternoon sun. I did it all wrong: no proper arbor (just a trellis), disregarded pruning, etc.--and had an enormous harvest this year. I was assisted by a huge black snake who took up residence beneath the leaves; putting a damper on losses due to predation! (Except his predation, of course!) I produced 8 jars of jelly, lots of grape juice, plenty to eat fresh. I guess I will now have to start doing things right!
My snake friend's picture is below:

Autumn

Soft, shimmering mist,
Glittering gray,
Melts in the sun.
Dry leaf shards spiral
Into the brown mould,
Now sun-dappled.
Lovely things
Die, disperse,
Drift away--
And let the light through.

Raspberries

Primocane raspberries--"Caroline". Luxurious and delicious! They need no preparation except for a wash and to be popped in the mouth.

The Last Rose of Summer

’Tis the last rose of summer
Left blooming alone;
All her lovely companions
Are faded and gone;
No flower of her kindred,
No rosebud is nigh,
To reflect back her blushes,
To give sigh for sigh.

Thomas Moore
(The rose is Zephirine Drouhin, which thrives on neglect--and survives blackspot!)

Now THAT is a Vegetable!

Just a photo of one of Mom's winter melons. Lots of winter melon soup in there!
(I know--it is actually a fruit....)

Winter Melon

My mother-in-law grows impressive winter melon in her north Florida garden. I think I'm too far North--but some fruit did set. It's just too late in the year for them to attain a generous size--obviously a vegetable for higher zone numbers!

More Yard Work

It's that time of year. Hazy, glittering, cool day. I cut down bee balm today, as well as some of the spent goldenrod, and trimmed out the butterfly bush. I hate to take down anything that is still blooming, because there are still a few bees, and they seem to be eager for nectar and stiff from the cold!
One nice thing--the turtlehead (Chelone glabra) has bloomed in my little rain garden, and I am posting a photo of it.

Fall Yard Work

I cut down the butterfly weed pods in the front today. I saw a Monarch butterfly last week on them, but it was 48oF this am when I got up, and I think the butterfly weather is pretty much gone! I love the Asclepias tuberosa seed pods--maybe even more than I love the gaudy orange flowers. The heath aster is still looking lovely--generous arches of tiny white flowers, and they like drought! Two great "weeds".