The Missing Month of October

Greetings.  Am being serenaded by a company called "Have Saw Will Travel" who are working across the street.  Their methods seem to be a little unorthodox - after sawing through a mid-sized tree, they gave the tree a Karate kick to encourage it to fall in the desired direction while the other pulled with all his might with a tethered nylon rope.  I watched Gravity last night and saw how efficient those ropes are -- that combined with the safety vests they are wearing, you know it's all going to go well.

So, October, where was I?  

Did I win the Lotto?  Nope.  

Did I make any brilliant garden discoveries?  Again, nope.    

Alas no, I seem to have a stuck cog in my writing wheel. 

Even though I wasn't writing, I did take pictures - if nothing else - hoped that once I was unstuck I might be able to find the words to go with the photos and that they might inspire me to Karate kick that sticky bit out of my machinery and begin again.    So with one knee bent and the other fully extended while I hover over my computer, here is the quick and dirty for the month of October:

It was an incredibly stormy start to the month of October - I was humming the Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald as I anchored myself against a tree to take these shots:  (yes, I know, wrong Great Lake, but it would seem that Lake Ontario can be pretty impressive as well!)

Kevin and I aren't the only ones missing the big old ash tree....we have had many little woodpeckers arrive only to think they've lost their little minds - "I'm sure there was a gigantic tree with tonnes of delicious green bug larva to eat here last year?  Where on earth did it go?"

The weather has been either brilliant or stormy - pretty typical Fall weather.  Down by the lawn bowling club - the last blossoms of the year.

October 10th and the reds are spectacular.

This was my favourite part of Thanksgiving Day.   I was the cook of the day and was having one of those moments with a million things on the go and not feeling completely thankful for everything I have.  The day was perfection and I thought, why not go for a walk - if we eat a little later....no big deal - with every step I took, I became happier and certainly more grateful for everything and everyone in it.  And, the meal turned out just fine - in fact delicious!

We've had a couple light frosts, so it's time to take the pots apart.  Left this one though, was pleased that I finally got a Eucomis bloom late in the season - thought I might have to wait another year.

When I visited the Caribbean, I always thought Bougainvillea was grown on fences because it is so beautiful - perhaps, but what I've learned is that has the most fierce set of thorns I've ever seen.  Nice to look at and helpful for keeping out intruders.

Very cool Hibiscus from Loblaw - when the weather became cooler, the flowers turned orange from their summer yellow.  Have it cut back and have sent it to the basement - hopefully I'll winter it and will have a good sized plant to start with next year.

Some of the last of the blossoms and leaves.

Down at the Oakville Public Library on Navy Street - who would ever think that October could be so floriferous.

Up high at my Aunt Carolyn's apartment - I could have had a better photo, but I'm not good with heights - so you'll just have to imagine it without the window in the way.

Then for the last of the month we got off to my sister-in-law and brother's cottage.



I am proud to say that we accomplished absolutely nothing.  Aside from some walks and a canoe ride that was pretty darn exciting coming back...can you imagine that Kevin said to me, "there is no way you're going to make the olympic team if you don't pick up the pace"...the only person who got exercise was Bart:

We spent our days just looking at the lake and enjoying it.

Which was exactly what we needed.

Arrived home in time for Halloween.  These neighbours have the most incredible display - year 20 apparently - they do the set up and knock down on the 31st.  They give out over 1200 candies - I'm thinking the children would come just to see the wonderfully horrid stuff they've prepared.

At our house, the event took on a feebler tone - a pumpkin:

A dog in a rerun costume:

And one handsome husband to do the shell out:

50 children later, an empty candy bowl, and that my friends, was October.