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.

November 1 2007

A few nights ago, with temperatures predicted at freezing, I stripped most of the tomatoes off the plants and brought in quite an impressive harvest. While the thrill of tomato paella is beginning to pale, I am still so happy to be growing at least a bit of food for us on my own. While most of the toms were still rather hard, they are ripening quickly indoors, and at least some each day can be pulped and frozen. Half the tomato plants came down that same day, and Brian brought the last hose in to the shed for the winter. But the chili plants, which are against the side of the house, didn't have the leaf burn of the toms. And I've really liked the chili rellenos I've been able to make. So I decided to let them go a week or two more, hoping the weather cooperates and I get one more batch of rellenos before the inevitable frost. We've had the mildest October on record here, which has made life with our foster dog Carmen so much easier! I've gotten used to strolling outside just before midnight with her for the last walk of the night, dressed in just a jacket over what passes for my nightwear. Alas, no longer. Now (this week) I don hat, boots, gloves, and a winter coat. If anyone other than the deer could see me, it would make a funny viewing indeed. The deer, however, remain uncritical and fairly oblivious. As the moon was waxing full, Carm and I almost stumbled on a doe lying down in our back garden, right along the doggie pee path. I'm not sure who was more surprised of the three of us; but the deer was definitely the most graceful!

And in just two days, Carmen, the most considerate doggie house guest I've ever had, will be meeting her new family, who are driving up in great excitement from New Jersey to bring her home to live with them happily ever after. While I know I will miss her (although not at 7:30 a.m.), I also know this is a much better situation for her. The family has two children who are old enough to actually care for a dog, and a fenced yard, with a dog park right down the road from their house. They've filled out their adoption application, had a home visit and a vet check, and we've had several lengthy conversations about just what a great dog Carmen is, what she will need, what they will do with her for exercise, and what she likes to eat. As she's taken to running in ever faster circles on her leash lately, I can tell she is overdue for an unleashed run. It's just not safe to do that here, and our alleged dog run, now 3/4 a vegetable garden, is no place for even a small dog to run. So I am enjoying these last few days with her and telling myself that this is the job I set out to do, make sure she was safe forever. I just wish that some of the organizations that deal with children did as good a job as I've seen ABR doing. I continue to be so impressed with everyone I've talked with or met in the organization. The focus is always and completely on what is best for the dogs, and everyone really does work as a team. Case in point, Carm's adopting family saw another volunteer at a mall at some doggie event with another Brittany rescue dog in tow. The dog was so pretty (yes, they really are) that the parents followed the woman for a while and then approached her to find out what kind of dog it was, where it came from, etc. This was a great volunteer, apparently, because she really got these folks excited about Brits and directed them to the ABR web site. And of all the lovely doggies there, they and their children especially decided Carmen was the one they liked best! And so now there will be at least this happy ending to one of my stories this year. It's been a great experience, so much so that we will do it again - just not in the snow season! I don't need to give the deer anything more to laugh at.