I’ve been catching up on garden chores involving autumn pruning, raking, and winterizing the garden furniture. When I covered the patio table and chairs, Tessa got very excited. She thinks I assembled a fort just for her.
The curb garden is awash in color, thanks to an early autumn planting just before we left for Italy. One oddity is a new crop of sunflower plants. I had hoped the squirrels would bury the seeds for a summer crop. I never dreamed that the sunflowers would produce a crop this time of year.
Cheerful pink cosmos continue to bloom and should last till the first frost. Lucky me! I thought they would’ve been spent by now. The tomato plant in the garden’s center is still producing, but the late-season produce lacks the sweet flavor of summer. Sweet peas have sent out lots of green shoots, and the freesia have multiplied once again. My first successfully grown zinnia is a day-brightener.
It’s nice to have the bees stop by the salvia and lavender. I cut sprigs of the scented herbs for the house. They do well in water and can be left to dry in place, equally fragrant and shapely.
I’ve added some seasonal color this year, planting red and white cyclamen along the garden near the sidewalk. Cyclamen were among my mum’s favorites.
I also have a few more to get in the ground in the back garden, including two richly colored pink varieties. I ran out of daylight, then it rained. We need every drop, so there are no complaints here. It’s cool enough now that the roots should remain moist until I get them into the ground. I need a bit of energy to complete this simple task and the willpower to stay away from the garden center for the balance of the year. It’s time for the garden and the gardener to rest.
I’m happy to have Mike home from his long business trip through South America. Unfortunately, he came home with COVID. We were both vaccinated last month, so he felt sure it was a bad cold. As he felt worse, he finally tested Sunday night. We’re sleeping in separate rooms now, wearing masks, etc. I remain healthy, and I dearly hope I stay this way.
We were due to host six for Thanksgiving this Thursday, so sadly, we’ve had to let that go. I have a case of the blues. Realizing that my oldest son would be home alone on Thursday hasn’t helped. I’ve decided to prepare a small meal of favorites for three, and two of us will eat outdoors while Mike joins from the house. The weather experts predict warm and dry, so it should be okay. My youngest son is celebrating with friends in Southern California, and my sister prefers staying put.
Holidays arrive loaded with memories and expectations that often fall short. Social media amplifies and distorts. I look forward to what Katrina Kenison calls “the gift of an ordinary day.”
Gardening Nirvana 
Your kitty is beautiful as is your garden!
Sorry to hear COVID has come to visit and I hope the holidays are the best they can be for now.
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Thank you, Tierney. Today is day five for Mike and he’s feeling much better. I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving.
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So much to comment on, Alys. We’ve just returned home from driving – slowly – downtown to a show that had to be cancelled due to a power outage. And that was undoubtedly due to our day of sodden, heavy snow, which could have taken down any number of power lines. So your flowers look just like a miracle! Simply beautiful!!
Sorry to hear that COVID has found its way to your house. It seems to be making its presence known everywhere. I hope your husband feels better very soon. It sounds like you have a plan B for Thanksgiving. Try to just relax and enjoy a stress-free Thanksgiving. 💕
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Oh Alys! Now COVID? What timing. I’m so sorry your Thanksgiving is disrupted but your beautiful garden looks so beautiful and peaceful, I hope that dining outdoors will be very enjoyable. I love the colors you still have in your garden. Your planning shows! Lovely!
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Happy Thanksgiving my friend. Your garden is lovely. Glad you had a plan B for tomorrow. We have our daughter, son in law and grandson but our son will be in Seattle. His boss has invited him over. He hopes to be with us for Christmas.
Ugh that Mike got COVID. It’s so sneaky and annoying that having been vaccinated he still picked it up.
Don’t work too hard tomorrow.
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I am so sorry about the covid and it’s ruining your plans. This is the problem with travel now. Someone always gets a new covid variant and then family events get cancelled. This has happened in our family several times. My husband got it twice traveling. The second time I didn’t catch it from him. I hope you stay well and you can enjoy TG with your son. Happy Thanksgiving! 👪🦃🥧🎃👪
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Given your lovely holiday and the trials that followed you are doing well with the garden. I trust Mike will continue to improve and hope you won’t get Covid. Stay Well XX
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A new verb for me – ‘to winterize’. It must be a U.S. term but it’s very descriptive and I can see myself using it. Your garden is looking very colourful – we’re relying mostly on heathers, rosehips and drying grasses for garden beauty at the moment.
I’m sorry to hear Mike picked up Covid – after everything else he’s had to deal with lately too. I picked up a very nasty cold which has lasted a week so far and made worse by having a UTI at the same time which has resisted the first course of antibiotics so I’ve got to embark on another one. It’s our wedding anniversary on Saturday and we have an expensive restaurant booked that we’ve been wanting to try which will have to be cancelled unless my sense of taste (missing for 3 days) comes back. Ho hum.
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Your garden is still looking lovely and colorful which is a plus compared to my brown one. :-) Sorry about the Covid visit even with the vaccine. It seems to be around like the flu for the long term, which is certainly not ideal. I hope your Plan B for dinner works out well and the weather cooperates. Happy Thanksgiving!
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Oh, you poor things! Your ever-decreasing list of things to be thankful for is now missing a joyful family celebration. I wish you continued health and Mike a speedy recovery. At least your garden is giving you hopeful colour. All good wishes for the season, dear friend. May the coming year contain more blessings to be thankful for.
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I love your garden and so miss seeing things grow. I’m trying to do some indoor rosemary and lavender but they are ailing. The succulents are holding on. Outdoors nothing so beautiful as you have there. I’m the odd duck here. I see Mikes covid as a gift from nature to give him and you both a break and some rest. You’ve both had so much to deal with that down time even with covid is sometimes a blessing. I got it after coming home from Portland last year. Thought I was just extremely exhausted. I’m glad he’s getting better. Enjoy your quiet little thanksgiving day. I’ll be thinking of you all.
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Your garden is looking pretty and tidy at the same time Alys. Something I never manage to achieve! Lovely to see your Cosmos and zinnia, and all the seedlings and herbs too. Get well wishes to the patient. And I hope you can all enjoy a Thanksgiving meal, even if not entirely ‘together’. I agree that all the hype around holidays puts so much stress on the homemaker/hostess to make it perfect. We don’t watch TV any more, nor listen to the radio, so we are spared the advertisements and images of big happy families dressed immaculately and crowding around a table laden with delicious Christmas food! That is not reality! LOL!
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Your garden is lovely and the cyclamen offer a wonderful pop of color, Alys. So sorry about Mike’s bout of Covid and I hope you are spared. Enjoy your al fresco dining and bask in the beauty and grace that surrounds you. Blessings! 🙏🏼🧡🍁
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Oh no Alys; I’m so sorry that Mike is sick; I hope he has a speedy recovery and that you manage to avoid it! We had two close calls with Covid and did the separate rooms just because of an exposure; thankfully we were both ok and have both avoided getting it.
The garden is looking lovely. Whenever I’m feeling blue, I come visit your garden :). I hope the gift of an ordinary day comes soon for you.
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Alsy,
So sorry that Mike got Covid after all he has been dealing with. Hoping you stay well and get some rest. Sorry you had to cancel your original plans but glad you got to have Chris with you. Hope your day was peaceful
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Alsy,
So sorry that Mike got Covid after all he has been dealing with. Hoping you stay well and get some rest. Sorry you had to cancel your original plans but glad you got to have Chris with you. Hope your day was peaceful
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I especially love those cyclamens! Tessa is a beautiful kitty, too.
I am sorry Mike has covid, and hope he feels better soon. Stay well, Alys.
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Thank you, Lavinia. The cyclamen offer a nice lift whenever I see them.
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Mike has recovered fully and I managed to stay healthy. Phew.
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I see from comments you stayed well and hubby is recovered. Hope Thanksgiving was fun for you. Your garden is lovely and it’s exciting to see things in bloom as mine is rather drab. Enjoy that new crop of sunflowers. I remember seeing cyclamen in Los Angeles in December and I was so thrilled.
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Mike is well and I avoided covid, so lots of pluses around here. The sunflowers continue to grow for now, and the cyclamen are a welcome pop of color. I hope to plant more next year.
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