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Pining for Autumn

As the autumnal equinox approaches, I’m pining for fall colors and cooler days. October is my favorite time of year, and it’s fast approaching. Sometimes, I miss the fun we had growing pumpkins when my boys were young, but with my sons launched, not to mention back-to-back years of squash bug infestations, I’m happy to leave it to the professional growers.

Also, I’m out of room. When you love gardening, a patch of exposed earth is a planting opportunity. I’ve filled pots, borders, raised beds, and the surrounding soil with living things. Potted succulents line the deck, the back steps, and the walkway leading to our back gate. I once joked that it would be fun to buy the house behind us, remove the fence, and extend the garden. Ha! A gardener can dream.

We have a decent tomato crop for the first time in several years. I was starting to think I’d lost my gardening mojo, but the cherry tomatoes are sweet and delicious, not to mention prolific.

I spent several hours last weekend taming the garden paths from the rapidly spreading nepeta and an annual called a 4’0clock. They fill the beds quickly and spill over on the path. The nepeta is a garden darling favored by cats, birds, bees, and paper wasps.

Last weekend, I spotted a mantis near the catmint. I coaxed him onto a stick and relocated him to a higher elevation for his safety.

Earlier in the year, we hired someone to replace the sideyard walkway, a project on my list for two years. When I met with a company specializing in hardscape to discuss our needs, the sales rep lacked the imagination and flexibility to do the job, prompting me to put it on hold again. The rep said they couldn’t repurpose the flagstone but would instead break it up and haul it away, providing their own material in its place. Go figure?

Fortuitously, a handyman we know reached out looking for work, so we hired him to do the job. It looks great.

The goal for the sideyard was one of safety as much as aesthetics: the stepping stones in place were small and uneven, presenting a tripping hazard. The ground cover that grew on either side looked great in the winter but dried to a crisp under the summer sun. I missed the green, so I added a few potted plants along the new path and hung a botanical print on the gate to create a focal interest. It feels good to check this project off the list.

Most of our spring plantings have done well, but we misjudged the placement of the Hostas.

They prefer shade, and we thought they would be ok, but the excess heat early this year and the sun’s rotation exposed them to more than they could handle. We’ll dig them up next month and hope they’ll survive a transplant to a shadier spot. I’m always learning.

I’ve missed blogging these past few months. August took on a life of its own. My younger sister sustained a foot wound on her wheelchair when a caregiver smashed her exposed heel on the footrest. The wound progressed to stage 3, requiring a trip to the emergency room and a three-week stay at a skilled nursing facility. I brought her kitty home to stay with us while Sharon healed. My sister was in pain for several days, but rest and good care helped. She was able to return to her assisted living home after three weeks and continues to receive care from a visiting nurse at home.

I had an appendicitis scare the Friday after Sharon went home. My doctor ordered an abdominal CT scan due to lower right abdominal pain. She thought it was my appendix. The on-call doctor called me that evening and said they saw something on the scan (a thickening of the appendix), and he sent me to the ER to have a surgeon make the call. I spent the night at Stanford Hospital, expecting surgery in the morning.

Saturday morning the on-call surgeon took a wait-and-see perspective, and I went home on antibiotics. The findings were atypical: My white blood cell count fell in the normal range, my pain was minimal, and I wasn’t running a fever. The surgeon suggested I try the antibiotic approach, and they gave me the warning signs to look for should things get worse. They did not.

Our son Chris managed the three cats, and friends came up and brought me home the following day.

It was a scary night. Mike was still in Argentina, and I couldn’t talk to him till the following day because of the five-hour time difference. He was already asleep by the time they admitted me. He was sad to be so far away in my time of need, but it all worked out.

Good riddance to August, and hello, early autumn days.

32 thoughts on “Pining for Autumn”

  1. Oh my gosh, Alys, I’m so sorry to hear about the bad health situations you’ve been dealing with. Hopefully, that’s the end of those problems for both you and your sister. As for your remarkable garden, you probably wouldn’t be happy to find yourself constrained to “gardening” on an apartment balcony, but I’m looking forward to it!!

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  2. I have been wondering why you were absent in the blogosphere, hoping it was just summer busyness. Medical emergencies weren’t expected! Hope it is smooth sailing from now on. 🙏🏼
    Your garden and new pathway look great and I hope the merciless heat abates soon. 💕

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    • Thank you so much, Eliza. I miss “this place” which is what the blogosphere feels like. I lacked the energy to write, but tried to read when I could.

      We’re delighted with our new pathway, knowing it will be safer and also easier to move carts and things when needed.

      I’m so over the heat as I’m sure you are, too. My son lives in Southern California where they have three raging fires, and temps up to 110. Misery all around. That heat wave broke yesterday.

      I hope you are doing well. xo

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  3. Gosh is right! Glad everything turned out well with your appendix. Scary, especially with your husband being so far away. Wonderful that your son was able to help out. Also, sorry to read about your sister’s foot and subsequent hospitalization. I hope she is feeling much, much better.

    Your gardens are beautiful! I love how you have filled the your yard with plants and pots. The new walkway looks great! Much safer than the old one. We have to think of such things as we age.

    Take care! I hope October brings you all things fall.

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    • Thank you, so much. I love my time in the garden, and one of the benefits of cooler days is that I can be outdoors for more time. We enjoy breakfast on the deck most days, and soon we’ll be able to lunch outside as well.

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    • Thank you, Judy!

      I’m happy to hear that you’ve also enjoyed summer tomatoes. They are such a treat. Thank you for your input on the hostas. Since they’re young, they wont have a deep root system, so that will make things easier. I hope they’ll thrive in a better location.

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  7. Some lovely images from your garden Alys. 😃 Those tomatoes look deliciously perfect! We have also had a good year for tomatoes but they have slowed down now and I don’t know if the last ones will ripen on the vines, so I will have to bring them indoors soon. The new pathway is a good way to go – greenery can get slippery if wet, and now you have space for a few more pots…. 😉 I love seeing what is growing in your garden too.

    I hope you and your sister are now fully recovered from your August calamities and wish you a calm and uneventful September and October! 🤗

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    • Thank you for your well wishes, Cathy. I think we’ve both turned a corner. It’s so good to have Mike home as well.

      I’m happy to hear that you also had a good tomato crop. It’s still warm here, but what I’ve noticed in prior years is that the sweetness goes out of the fruit as the temperatures cool, which they are starting to do at night. We’re enjoying every morsel.

      xo

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  8. I was thinking something was going on because you have been mostly invisible this last month. I’m with you, come on Autumn! You have had a lot to deal with and it sounds like you could use a bit of extra rest. Appendicitis is painful. H had hers out at age 5. They can ramp up quickly so be careful. Your garden looks lovely as always The side yard turned out wonderful. Hostas are very sensitive to heat. I had them up on the hill under the trees. I do miss my terraced garden. Can’t tell you how much. I think it’s a shame that your sister’s caregiver caused her so much more pain. I had wondered if she was in a rough patch since you were missing here. Tell her I’m thinking of her too. I saw some fences painted on Pinterest and thought you might like another project. :)

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    • The first few weeks of Sharon’s time in Sunnyvale were all-consuming. I fed her cat at Oakmont a couple of days, then packed up kitty’s things and brought her home. I needed to get items to Sharon, and visits had to be timed around traffic. One day I went up and she was so soundly asleep that I simply unpacked items and left her to rest. She was placed at an approved facility, first available, so that’s how she ended up in Sunnyvale. It was usually twenty minutes to get there, and forty to get back. They treated her wound daily and provided her with a heal protector that allowed her to feel more comfortable in bed. Picture a pillow, customized for your foot. Sharon refers to it as the “clown shoe” but it does the job.

      I know how much you miss that terraced garden. You put so much love and care into your home there, inside and out. I’m glad I got to visit you when you were living there.

      I’ll pass on your well wishes. xo

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  10. A month to see the back of, but your hard work in the garden paid off and you found a much more sensitive option to the hardscape specialists. I hope Sharon continues to improve and am pleased that you have Mike back. Enjoy the tomatoes

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  13. All of these tremendous stressors in August and you still maintained a beautiful garden, Alys. Your photos are wonderful. I’m so glad you didn’t require surgery, but understand the stress. And your sister’s wound was incredibly unfortunate. I hope that as October appears you’ll find yourself again in complete balance!

    And what an insult that a reputable contractor would be so unwilling to work with your own materials. The end result is so appealing, however. I’m finding that I need more help with my projects since losing my husband. This is a whole new experience hiring help in the garden. So far, I’ve found some “good ones,” and I must say, after years of doing everything myself, this is kind of nice. 😉 Help, that is!

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    • Debra, thank you for your kind words. My garden is a source of joy and comfort, so when the weather cools, its nice to be outside. I come home with the intent of getting things done indoors, stop to “pull one weed” and before you know it, an hour or two have passed.

      It must be daunting facing so many things on your own. I’ve heard that from other friends who’ve lost there spouse. I’m glad you can hire help. I hope your garden is doing well. xo

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