Donut head and some apples

Cyrus says better a donut head than a cone head!

It's nice that I was able to get a donut that brings out the blue in his one blue eye. Never a big fan of the plastic cones, I splurged and bought him a pretty blue inflatable collar. It was the only way to stop him from biting at a hot spot on his back leg. Bitter apple spray only inspired him to do more damage.

Some other apples... We had a fair amount on our many apple trees this year, maybe more than most people in the area. I contacted a lady from Uncommon Kin Cidery to take some in return for a bottle of their hard cider in the spring. A lot of local apples were killed by an early frost, and they were looking for places to come and pick.

Of course I had to save enough to make apple butter and sauce. Note to self: this amount x2 makes 7 pints of apple butter and 2 pints of apple sauce.

Change in the weather

The cats have found that it is warmer to snooze together. It's that time of year when I turn the heater on, and off, and on again. Just this afternoon I fired up the woodstove because it would warm me up sooner than the radiant heat. So much for my warm September!

Last week we received our passports in the mail. Now I just have to find someone to care for all these spoiled rotten animals when we go to visit cousins Tony and Rose in Ireland. Hoping for spring, but then they would also have to milk the goats.

Retirement stuff

People are still asking me what I do with my time now that I am retired. The short answer that I usually give is "stuff". Spending time outside and enjoying the weather on beautiful days like yesterday is a big part of my new lifestyle.

With more time for stuff, the garden is now looking more like a garden, although these plants in the large pots were destroyed early on by the groundhogs and rabbits. I still have the netting wrapped around them, but I think the critters have finally found more interesting foraging outside the fence.

The hollyhocks are almost done flowering, and the hydrangea flowers are starting to get some color.

While I was sitting out by the firepit, I saw this little wasp making a nest in a piece of charred wood. Siri identified it as a kind of potter wasp—so called because it normally makes its nest out of a mud-like substance that looks like a little ceramic pot. Just recently I have been seeing a lot of these little "pots" stuck on the house and garage. It wasn't until the old retired lady had time to sit outside on a nice afternoon that she had the chance to ID the artists. 

Cool August, warm September

We made it through a few days of heat and humidity—reminiscent of New Jersey weather but not nearly as steamy. Just before the hot, it was unseasonably cool (and beautiful) at the end of August. Mixed up weather, but the goldenrod still knows when it's time to bloom, and the apples are ready for picking.

This was the big storm approaching that was supposed to wash away the heat. The rain missed us, but it did cool off quite a bit.

Willie and Woody are the senior citizens in the house (along with the 2 old retired folks). Willie, who spent his first 10 years in this house as an upstairs-only cat, is now permanently attached to my lap when I am on the sofa.

It's hard to do anything other than stare at his handsome little face. Brushing is not an option.

 

More flowers, and bees

These tiny bumblebees must have a nest somewhere close. I've seen a dozen around the patio and flowerpots, but recently not as often. I just found out that's because they are all busy at work on the big, blooming Limelight hydrangea. The whole big bush was buzzing!

I wasn't sure about getting this (mostly) white flowering variety because I like the more colorful ones. I had Nikko Blues in New Jersey, and there are so many other colors available—but not so many do well in the colder climate up here.

This one is thriving now that the deer can't reach it inside the fence, and the greenish, pinkish, ivory whitish flowers are perfect.

Moon, flowers, berries

Of course I missed getting a good photo of the "blue supermoon" because of the clouds, so I will offer this little slice of moon on the north side of the house from a clear night.

These Chater's Double hollyhocks were purchased from the Cornell Coop Master Gardeners last year, and just bloomed this year. I don't think Chater's are supposed to come in this color combination, so I wonder if they somehow got mixed up with my weedy Zebrina hollys. Whatever the case, I hope that they will continue to reproduce these same flowers from seed every year!

The little Cyrus head at the bottom of the last photo is to show how large that elderberry bush is in the background. We have this one and about 4 more that were planted by the state DEC as part of the Trees for Tribs program. 

A plastic shopping bag of elderberries only makes 2 and a half pints of jam, but it is worth the effort.