Fast Friends in Fall

Thanks to Roberta for the photo!

There's still some green, but not a lot of leaf color left here—all the color is in the sky. 

Fast Friends had a gig at Willy's Cider Mill yesterday, a blustery, chilly gray day. Just after we finished it rained for a bit, and then a beautiful double rainbow closed out the show.

It was better than a standing ovation. 

We had a few sitting ovations which were pretty nice too. :)

Fall and pigs in the car

The goldenrod goes brown, and the leaves get prettier this time of year. We might have a less colorful year than usual, but it still looks pretty darn pretty.

The two little piggies, Lauren and Matt, made their way from Richfield to their new home in Schuyler Lake in the back of the Kia—otherwise known as the farm transport vehicle. I had stupidly imagined that the truck would be used for such messy excursions, but hey, what's a little hay in your back seat? 

 

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.

Folk Fest for Food and flowers

The farmer has been busy as a musician as well, playing different music with different folks. He used his farmer talents here also by donating a dozen ears of homegrown corn and a big bag of yellow squash for the Cherry Valley Food Pantry.

The WoodMan is always entertaining, even in his old age. For whatever reason he likes to pick flowers off this mallow plant. I have seen him deadheading daisies before, but never murdering innocent little flowers. (video in comments on FB)

Disappointing tomatoes, the chick, and gardens

It has been a bad year for our tomato "crop". The Husband's garden did well with corn, peppers, and string beans, and squash, but his tomato plants were destroyed by the critters before they even had a chance to blossom.

My little garden inside the big fence and inside a smaller fence was doing ok, not great, with the little plants I started from seed in the house. The one big Cherokee Purple tomato started by a friend from seed was doing fantastic. 

I was just waiting for these 2 tomatoes to get ripe, not paying close attention since Mother Nature was doing the watering for me. Ugh! I am not sure if that little snail on the left one did all that damage by itself, but they were about 2 feet off the ground, so I don't think it was a bigger critter. I was able to save most of it.

The little chick is getting big enough that I think it will be safe from the crows, especially with Mom being so very protective. I am thinking (and hoping) she is a hen.

This old retired lady has had more time to clean up the fenced yard. The hydrangea and lilac are doing great, and I actually have some flowers blooming—a nice big double hollyhock, lots of daylilies, big pots of annuals. By next year I should have some actual gardens to show you.

Clouds and the chick

Odd weather patterns must have been stealing the gorgeous sunsets this summer—at least that's my best unscientific explanation. I did catch this beauty a few days ago, and the afternoon cloud parade was interesting as well.

Broody Mama is now overly protective of her last chick. I think she learned her lesson.

Even worse than a helicopter mom, she is more like a Mack truck mom sitting on top of her little Beanie Baby every night, way up high in the coop.