Besides the black oaks on our property that become a soft bronzy gold, we have an American tulip tree in the front patio that turns crayon yellow. While I definitely lean toward a landscape of native plants, a few eastern trees here and there are so worth the technical violation.
Big-leaf maples and aspens are the native turners in the area--all yellow--and I will be planting some, but, well, I couldn't resist a few Japanese maples, a sugar maple and a liquidambar for the oranges and reds. They're tiny, now, but I love every leaf! Here's a picture of a couple. They just make me happy!
Meanwhile, in our garden, change has come. Our tomatoes did finally start to produce all kinds of interesting fruit--in September. Here's a little sample (taken a few weeks ago before the green ones were ripe). One tomato, a brandywine, weighed in at 1 1/2 pounds all by itself! The tastiest? The little cherry tomatoes, whose name I've forgotten. Intense! And the Costenutos (they look like tiny red pumpkins). The Porters were prolific, but the taste was rather ordinary. And the plants are still busy but I've pulled out the rest of the summer crop. We harvested a grand total of two peppers this year, but it wasn't the worst producer. Oh no. For all the corn stalks, we got not even one edible ear. The eggplant plants looked great for seedlings. The tallest was only three inches when I pulled it yesterday, the Peter Pan of eggplants. Sigh. A building year, as the coaches say. Newly planted are lettuce, peas, onions, leeks, garlic, and shallots. We're still getting some carrots and I left in the chard because it's so pretty and we might even eat some one of these days.
Earlier in the month, I spent a day at the Celtic festival at the fairgrounds. It's the sort of thing I love. I go every year (Tom is glad to let me have this one to myself). And though by the end of the day I might have been in the majority not having come in costume, in the morning I was definitely outnumbered by elaborately-dressed folk of all sorts. I love the music. I LOVE the music.
The bands are wonderful! But the little villages they set up, the highland games, the dancers, the giant wolfhounds, the parades, and, yes, the costumes, are terrific fun. Favorite bands this year: Sligo Rags (pictured), Dervish and Enter the Haggis. Oh, and the amazing bagpipe corps! I can't get enough of them! They played two concerts during the day. It's a great event set in the beautiful pines and I just wallowed in it.Today is November. I think we're pretty done with the flu, now. My Standard Time is finally back (at last!). And I will watch the trees like a hawk until the last bright leaf falls to the ground. Then comes the snow (yay!).
