October: More Transitioning

Today we celebrated Tom and Jan's birthday with a family brunch at Claim Jumpers.  This is a BIG brunch buffet and we all ate too much, but we also had fun together before we all headed off in different directions to follow different pursuits. 

Jan and Ann were going to the symphony in Seattle.  Jake was going home to watch sports on TV and stay off his foot/ankle until it's time to go to the Sounders match this evening.  Jill and the kids were probably going to enjoy a few hours at home before the kids went to Isaac's soccer game with the coach and Jill headed to the stadium.  Tom and I came home.

I mowed the lawn.

I don't usually mow the lawn, just like I don't usually vacuum,  Because they are not back friendly activities. This weekend I did both, because yesterday Tom was at the Whidbey Island cabin helping to finish up the exterior staining of the cabin.  Today he has sore legs from standing on the rounded rungs of extension ladders. And besides, it's his birthday.  He's napping. 

 October rose

Tom worked hard at home this week too. The raspberry patch is gone, the plants and roots all stuffed in the yard waste bins.  The infestation of Asian fruit flies has ruined the crop for the last several years, and the 35 year old plants have weakened, so it is time to start over.  Tom planted a cover crop, and we'll leave the area fallow for two years, hoping to rid the area of the pests and problems. 

 He also has several garden boxes cleaned up and ready for winter. 

In the front yard, Tom has removed most of his fancy leaf geranium collection from the porch, and I have planted the permanent planters for winter interest. 

 Here is how the porch looks now.

This is how it looked last month. 

That big variegated boxwood on the left is gone now too.  It was getting too big and was reverting to all green, so it came out. That exposed the brown part of the nesting spruce that was behind it, so that came out too. 

Cutting that off and digging out the root was no small job. 

I had it much easier removing the dead Daphne odora, cleaning out the lower section and planting two new Daphne.

 We have replanted with an Abelia Kaleidoscope and two Japanese hollies that we can keep pruned. 

Some things will stay as they are.

Winter will do it's work here and the clean up will come later.

 New flowers appear as the cooler weather brings new growth to some parts of the garden. 

 The wind spinner makes flowers in any season. 

 Hydrangeas go purple and chartreuse, one of my favorite color combinations. 

 And even weeds look good again. This native mullein, or Verbascum, planted itself in a pot of geraniums.  The geraniums are long gone, but the weed persists.  

Well, I've played around with this post long enough.  It's time to gear up for a Sounders match.

Enjoy your October, and enjoy whatever changes to brings to you and your part of the world.