ready for flight

The first killer frost is any day now. Almost as a shout against death, these plants are sending their legacy out into the world.

feeding the deer

Just when I thought the deer were leaving the impatiens alone, look what happened. The soil tiles are all munched out. Maybe deer know when a frost is coming, so waste not, want not, and they chow down. The only legal way to hunt deer in Cuyahoga County is with vehicles. Somehow I don't think Pat would be happy about me sitting in the Aztec waiting for deer. I mean this isn't Wisconsin.

our ash tree

Ash trees are the first to lose their leaves. I use the plural sorta loosely because ours is the last one left in the neighborhood. The Red Chinese Borer Beetle has devastated these trees in Ohio. Some of my friends and relatives think that the Chi-Com military is the real enemy of America. I on the other hand think that defective Red Chinese-made Christmas lights with invasive plant-eating Red Chinese bugs tagging along in the pallets are the real enemy. To add insult to injury, the invasive bugs hitting Ohio came from Michigan. As an adopted son of Ohio, I gotta agree that nothing good ever comes out of Michigan.

summer draining away

The marsh milkweed is going to seed. Instead of letting the wind take the seed, I'm capturing them and spreading them in one area. The ligularia will seed itself. in another year or two, our ligularia patch will be huge. This year we're lucky that the colors are changing slowly. The maple leaves almost make me want to sing "Oh Canada", but, I don't know the words

these could be the last flowers

The weather outlook calls for snow tommorrow. Well I knew it was coming, but I was kinda hoping that it would hold off till November or December. I find myself in the weird position where both the lawnmower and snowblower are full of gas and ready to go. Our garden is a paradox (the ones that could fly have long gone south). You'll get it if you've watched the Marx Brothers as much as I have.The leaves are losing their color at the same time new leaves and flowers are streching for the sun. The new ligularia seem to have doubled and tripled over night just as the mature plants are giving up the ghost. The hydrangas have a dozen new buds. It's a race to see if they bloom before the first frost. The last pic is a weed, but remember, one man's weed is another man's flower.

Tom Rush at Kent Stage

Pat and I joined 200 middle aged appreciative fans and one very lucky teenager at the Kent Stage to see Tom Rush. If you know who Tom Rush is, there's no more I need to say. If you don't, you've been deprived of something wonderful. New stuff, old stuff, and stories, the set lasted two and a half hours.

color on a dreary day

These are some pictures of the plants Pat planted in pots on our deck. I like the way that sounds so much, I'll say it again. These are pictures of plants Pat planted in pots on our deck. All you English majors out there, help me out. That's an example of aliteration right? Well whatever it is, have you ever seen such nice dahlias? Pat's venture into urban agriculture bears fruit (tomatoes are a fruit).

new life

Even as plants fold up for the season, you can still find new life in the back yard. These ligularia seeded themselves.