Happiness is Rolling in the Dust

Rupert enjoying a good roll on a sunny afternoon.

A Treasure Map

During our first fall in Lone Butte, I ordered and planted many varieties of garlic. To keep track, I painstakingly recorded each variety on a bright orange piece of paper, which I promptly lost...not to be seen again for two years. By then I had no idea which variety was which.

This year, I'm making my garlic map here in cyberspace, where I won't lose it. At the end of summer I'll be able to look back and see which varieties did well, and which I won't grow again.

Row 9 Persian Star
Row 8 Persian Star
Row 7 Northern Quebec
Row 6 M M M M M NQ
Row 5 Majestic
Row 4 Dan's Russian
Row 3 Dan's Russian, YP YP YP YP
Row 2 Yugoslavian Porcelain
Row 1 Magic

Now all I have to remember is that I actually recorded what I planted!

And then it was Autumn

...which is my favourite season here in the beautiful South Cariboo. Summer's heat returned with a vengence in mid August, and has only just given way to overnight frosts and that wonderful crispness in the air that makes working outdoors such a pleasure. My sheepskin slippers just been pulled out from under the bed to replace my flip flops, and I think the woodstove is going to get its first use of the season tonight.

Over the past weeks, several projects have been completed...the most major being the shop, which has taken three years of intermttent work. Mike and I moved the raised garden beds to their new home in Rupert's former pen last weekend, as they were occupying ground which is going to be the building site for our house next year. The herbs and strawberries have been replanted.

This morning I have been splitting firewood and planting daffodil bulbs, this afternoon I'll be cutting back the delphiniums, lupins and artemesia, and planting garlic.

All here are well...Mike and Cody are back on the road since Tuesday after a week at home. Today they are in Ohio, and will be in Virginia by tomorrow morning. Buck is in the yard, grazing on the end of season clover...Rupert is loudly protesting that he can't (too rich, causes founder) join Buck.

Rudy's personality has blossomed in the past few months...Lucy has finally decided that since he isn't going anywhere, she might as well accept him and stop terrorizing him. He's a scoundrel, and a clown, and he makes me laugh every day. Jasper is dedicated to spending every possible moment inside, and Molly has been presenting us with a dead mouse most mornings.

Life here is predictable, and routine, but very, very good.

Rudbeckia

My first flower from seed sown last year! I've never grown any perennials from seed before, so this little flower is special.

This December I will start delphiniums under my grow lights to bloom next summer. I have gathered seed from aubretia and dianthus to start next spring.

A Project for Fall

There's some wood splitting and stacking in my near future!  This will be a project for September and October.  Firewood is my favorite chore; there is something very satisfying about filling the woodshed.  It won't be long until the woodstove is back in use...I was tempted last night, but opted for an extra blanket instead.

The Tomato Thief

Here's a guilty face if ever I saw one...Rudy has been helping himself to my meager crop of tomatoes in the greenhouse!

Beautiful Lucy