Fall Glory

It is really beautiful in the fall, even though things are dying and other things are shedding their leaves to prepare for winter.

There is much work to be done, digging the cannas is a huge task, as is cutting back the stalks and stems and then pushing them through the chipper/shredder. Some years we burn things, but when it is possible we prefer to shred them so we don't pump a bunch of smoke into the air. 40 years of asthma makes Bill sensitive to particulates.

Even with the diminishment and death that is going on, the colors are beautiful and the afternoon light in the fall is gorgeous. Most of these photos were taken a week or so ago, but I'm just now getting around to writing. This is a busy time away from home, and then there is so much to do here in the few hours we have.

Yesterday and Saturday we had a charitable event to work on, and spent probably a total of 12 hours since quitting work on Friday. But we also had to dig the cannas, cut down and shred tons of spent perennials, cut the lawn, haul a bunch of ceramic pots to the garage, clean up dead plants below the bedroom, outside of the atrium, in the kitchen garden, along the vegetable garden, in the evergreen garden. Also, used up the leftover herbicide on the last of the flourishing weeds, cut down the sunflowers, and a multitude of other small tasks.

But it is beautiful out in the yard and I love being out there even when I am dead tired.