A Praying Mantis Just Hang'n

This lady was somewhat banged up and didn't look to good.   She hung around up on our deck some 15'-20' feet up versus down on the flowers hunting for insects.  Hoping she laid an egg sack so we can enjoy more of these mantis come next spring and summer.

Rocky Raccoon's Visit

Spotted this youngster running across our front lawn the other morning.  Clearly, past it's curfew, up it went into one of our big oak trees.  Up, way up it went, then down it came until finally finding a suitable spot where it curled up and slept all day. 

Hoping it moved on elsewhere and stays away.

Winter Rye 2019

After getting my garden picked, cleaned and turned I planted 3-pounds of Winter Rye.  With the mild, rainy weather we've had the past week it's already starting to sprout.

In case you're curious - "Winter rye is a cereal grain that's typically planted in fall in vegetable gardens as a cover crop. Having a thick ground cover also helps prevent soil erosion over winter and loss of nutrients from exposed soil. Winter rye is a deep-rooted plant."

Scat

Ah shit, both deer and raccoon!

Can you tell which is which?

Cornus Kousa

Our Kousa Dogwood tree.

Planted shortly after Emilie was born some, 17 years ago.  The tree we originally planted didn't survive, however, a small sucker from the original root survived and now graces our front yard.

This time of year the berrie-like fruit from the Kousa ripen, turn red and fall to the ground.  Fruits are technically edible, but are left for the birds.  The deer seem to enjoy them too.

They're somewhat attractive, once they've turned their deep red, against the greens and reds of the leaves but squishy and messy once they fall, especially in the treads of the lawn tractor.

A Relative To Crickets And Katydids

Mr. Grasshopper

I spied this dude trying to blend in atop a sedum flower.

Kinda late in the season to still be hanging around.  Unfortunately, this pest was able to elude the praying mantis but not the homeowner 😀...

German Red Garlic 2019

I planted my garlic back on 10\20, a variety called German Red.  I've planted this kind before, very hardy, does real well with the cold weather and tastes great!

1-pound equals 8-bulbs equals 66-cloves, planted in 6-rows equals 11-cloves per row!

I covered the two beds with a couple lawn mower bags full of grass and leaves to help protect from the coming cold and to keep the weeds down.

July can't come quick enough to harvest.

Hey You Down There!!

Ever get the feeling you're being watched?

I had that feeling the other afternoon when washing our deck.  

Looked up and there she was staring back at me.

Ah, the 1980's music -

Rockwell - Somebody's Watching Me (Official Video)

Not Dead Dead, Just Dead Tired!

Yuppers, Trixie-dog likes to squeeze between the cushions and the back of the couch, lay back and sleep. Undisturbed, she'll lay like this for the longest time.

Ah, a dogs life!

Backyard Corn

We had a bumper year for our Silver Queen corn and it was delicious! 

We got a lot of mileage from it too.  Our rabbits enjoyed eating the smaller stalks, when freshly cut, and we've not decorated the front of our house for the fall with the cut and bundled stalks.  

The trick with planting corn, for the backyard gardener, is to plant in groups, NOT in rows.  The male flower of a corn plant is called the tassel, while the ear with its corn silk is the female flower.  Planting a small number of plants in a group increases the odds for bigger, fuller ears.  Be prepared to help with the fertilization process too!  It's worth come picking time!

Sky Plant Flower

Our Tillandsia ionantha (sky or air plant) flowered this past summer.

A sky plant is akin to owning a pet rock, not too much happening with it.  However, this dude surprised us with when we noticed a couple violet-blue flowers being to grown.  I suspect the age of the plant plays a roll when it blooms, and suspect they bloom when mature.

Little wonders.

Out With The Old, In With The New

I replaced the manifold on our pool filter.  I had the unit disconnected and in pieces to replace a leaking part and found this one in rough shape, so took advantage of it being apart, ordered the replacement manifold and installed.

We're ready to roll come spring time!

Also, had to replace the above piece too, as it broke when I was trying to separate it.  Thankfully, the pool store in Medway was able to locate and order me a replacement.

Peter Piper Picked A Peck Of Pickled Peppers

Not a tongue twister and not pickled but I sure did pick a mess of beautiful, softball sized California Bell Peppers this past weekend!  There are oodles more out there too, smaller ones but delicious just the same.

From Latin Ros Marinus ("Dew Of The Sea")

Rosemary is an herb that reminds me of my mother.  For that reason I've been planting one every year in the spring.  This year I found a creeping variety, which I actually prefer over the upright variety and it's done remarkable!  So much so that it's covered in flowers.  First time in all the years that I've had one flower.  Unfortunately, I've zero luck with over wintering these plants. I will try once again this winter since I like this plant so much.  Fingers crossed that it survives.

A Canning Session No. II

All these tomatoes -

Produced (24) quarts of canned tomatoes -

That's GOOD eat'n right there, today and for months to come!

What Makes A Garden Pop!

They're not dinner plate dahlias but stunning none the less.

Dahlias are related to the sunflower, daisy, chrysanthemum, and zinnia. 

Unfortunately, only 3 of the 5 bulbs I planted survived, otherwise we'd have additional color varieties.  Regardless, these are beauties and look incredible!

I'll need to dig out the bulbs soon. I never really had much luck storing them for the winter but hoping that changes this year. Time will tell.

Bubba Night Night For Our Pool

It's official, pool season has come to a close here in New England.

Spent the weekend closing the pool.  It's not that bad really but does take time and isn't the funnest chore.  However, once the work's been done and the cover on, it's a good feeling.

Until the spring...