Plantings spring bulbs. Graced by balloons!

The gentle wind currents brought many hot air balloons our way yesterday, the 2nd day of the Balloon Fiesta! It is exhilarating when they come over the treetops, firing their propane burners which make that quintessential hot air balloon sound! We will go to the balloon field next weekend, weather permitting; as for yesterday? Well, it really doesn't get any better than that. Coffee and pumpkin muffins just out of the oven....robes and slippers. We felt very happy. Fred, it turns out, is a particularly great little balloon watcher! Abby's walnut tree was visited by the teddy bear balloon! Piper's prairie-fire crabapple was graced by the zig zaggy orange one! (Ben's little piñon tree is still too short for the balloons to find.) And for today - Monday? Well, now that the morning balloons have passed (there were only five right over our house today), Fred and I have holes to dig and daffodils, tulips, and crocus to plant!

The last day for...so many things!

I guess I have been in denial. Since Tuesday, the weatherman and Tim have been saying it may freeze tonight, and I was hoping they would soon say otherwise! But, no. It is true. Except it has gone from "It may", to "It is going to...". So, given this blast of reality, I have spent the better part of the day preparing. Cutting as many flowers as I can, spraying soapy water on the houseplants that have spent the summer outdoors, then bringing them inside, cutting huge bunches of herbs, and picking the last of the pumpkins, squash, melons, and okra. I left one huge Cinderella pumpkin on the vine to turn - hoping it won't freeze hard! (The apple and pear in the picture are the only ones we had this year!) I think the carrots, beets and chard will be all right. I also had the distinct pleasure of harvesting Abby's ornamental corn! It is very cute! Good job Abby! The wind is beginning to blow a chilly breeze. I am so sorry that the summer garden is nearly finished. We will cover some things, like the new baby lettuce, but much will be....done. Why, oh, why does this always come as a shock? It happens every year. But this year I am not ready to say goodbye. I will now go out to the pole barn and get some nice piñon logs for our fireplaces. Our heater is not yet prepared for the blast of cold! Bundle up everyone! The cold is coming! TONIGHT!

Grape & Herb Harvest

One of these mornings, much too soon, we will wake up, step outside, and see that all the tender flower and vegetable plants will be droopy and wilty and well on the way to dead - victims of a killing frost! This always catches me by surprise for some reason. I grow so accustomed to stepping out the door to greet the day and I am overwhelmed by the color and beauty of the plantings, the canopy of trees overhead, and the summer-ness of it all! But already (It is, after all, October now!) the situation requires that we hold our robes or sweatshirts tightly around ourselves, pull socks onto our feet, and spout encouraging words to Fred to "Hurry, little guy! It's cold!" Of course, he knows it's cold! He needs very little encouragement to hustle, unless the coyote is nearby, in which case he must bravely stand on patrol at the fence line and prepare to escort him swiftly away from his personal domain. This terrifies me as I fear for Fred when he does this! I never leave him when this happens! He is too brave for his own good! And naive about the wild ways of coyotes! So, we are trying to save what can be saved for the winter months ahead. No fruit, of course, due to the early freezes, but plenty of grapes (Malbecs, these) that we juiced and froze, herbs that are now drying in paper sacks, and flowers, flowers, flowers.....to hold in our memories. There are pumpkins for pies and soup and Jack o'lanterns! And the arugula and Swiss chard will hang on for us awhile longer. The hot air balloons will fly "en mass" this weekend, which absolutely means....it will be cold! (Just ask Piper if you don't believe me! She was soooooo cold last year at the Balloon Fiesta!! Poor darling! Until FINALLY, Mr. Golden Sun came up!!) Happy October everyone! It is such a beautiful month!

It doesn't rain, but it pours! And pours and POURS!

This brave whopper of a spider lives in our garden. She has had to rebuild her web many times lately; repair, repair, repair! I love the zipper she creates! She is an artist! The Heavenly Blues is a favorite of mine. It reminds me of Japan. The roses love this cooler weather, especially when it is damp, as it is this week. Their show has been unsurpassed! And, no, we have not put in our pool yet. What you see here is just our little spot of newly planted grass in front of the patio. It was under water, in spite of the hidden drains Tim-san buried a foot under the surface. This has been a LOT of rain! A few hours have now passed and the water has all soaked in. Tiny green sprouts of fine grass are now peeking up - a sweet, encouraging haze of green.

Time again for Dilly Beans!

These are a Happy Hour favorite!