November 18 2007

As a result of the very mild October, my garden plants are more confused than ever. If you look closely at the composite shot you should be able to see the autumn leaves all around the flower blooms. I'm not surprised at the violas, since I've already experienced them disappearing under feet of snow only to emerge with tiny flowers intact and joyful, but the coneflower is strange (they are usually done by the end of August) and the lily is incomprehensible as they were all finished with blooming, or so I thought, by mid-summer. Once again I am amazed and at least as confused as the plants.

I also spotted a goldfinch this past week hanging on to what used to be a coneflower stalk, pecking out the remaining seeds. So I'm glad I let them stand, ignoring my very strong anal impulse to cut all stalks down to the ground.

We've had our first light snowfall, which while it did cover the ground, thankfully did not hang around more than a few hours. And the next morning, though there was no snow, the frost was so thick it looked as if it had in fact snowed. So we are burning wood fires now beginning at about 4 or 5 in the afternoon, in an attempt to delay as long as possible the dreaded home heating fuel oil delivery. I'm betting this is the month the fuel cost surpasses the mortgage payment - and real winter has barely begun!

There are still days when it's mild enough to poke around in the lower terraces, setting things up for the big freeze and deciding which stone walls need restacking, but mostly it's pretty cold. Carmen the wonder dog has an excellent sense of timing; she got adopted the very week the weather changed, and we are all grateful. Though I do miss her, especially at night, I must be happy that she has found a loving family whose members will exercise her more than we could. Next spring we will probably get another foster dog - when we are absolutely sure the snow is over, which around here is only certain after Mothers' Day.

So I'm hunkering down for the long nights, and planning next year's plantings. Out this way the winter garden is all in one's head.