Transitions

Migration

Grover's Mill Pond is a popular
rest stop for migrating geese

For the last two weeks, thousands of geese have visited the pond behind our property. This must be a popular refueling and resting stop on their way south for the winter. They are a noisy throng of travellers. Each new convoy loudly announces its arrival and is met with an even louder welcoming chorus from the flocks who had arrived earlier. Batches take off on joy flights around the area — everyone squawking as loudly as possible. Their pitch and exuberance remind me of a family reunion where everyone wants to catch up on what's happened since the last gathering.

The other day, I passed the pond on route to do errands and was surprised to see that there were no geese. The weather was still very comfortable. Had they all left? Later, I heard the now familiar cacophony of squawking as the sky above the Whole Foods parking lot turned dark from a swarm geese heading in the direction of the pond. When I got home, they had all returned and were as boisterous as ever.

 Exfoliation

Better than a rake for sweeping up piles
of leaves off our rock driveway

Potentially lethal bullets when
they fall from a 70 foot tall tree

There is a very tall Oak tree outside the covered porch that has been dropping mountains of leaves and acorns for weeks now. The acorns fall from such a height, they gain enough velocity to bounce a couple inches before they land.  Sometimes, so many acorns are falling it sounds like popcorn popping.

We would be shin deep in Oak leaves if my client, Agri-Fab hadn't sent me a Lawn Sweeper that I use to collect the leaves and then pile onto my compost. I was worried that it would also scoop up the rocks that cover the driveway like a rake would. But it doesn't. It also scoops up pine needles, all the other leaves and those pesky acorns.

Realization

Sayonara, Juniper

The first growing season is over and I've decided to stop being the timid caretaker of the previous owner's garden and to make it my own.

The ugly old Juniper's skeletal remains

My first order of business: remove the ancient, ginormous, scraggly juniper bushes and let my husband try out his new chain saw. Now we have an uninterrupted view of the forest from our dining table.

I could start a Hibiscus Plantation

My other momentous task has been removing the jungles of brambles that multiplied exponentially over the summer. No sooner had I cleared a large section of Wineberries, I noticed that the cleared area quickly filled with small woody sprouts. Were they something to keep? I left them alone for a while.

Then a few days ago, I saw a note on the list of plants that the previous owner gave me. Next to Hibiscus (Rose of Sharon), it said "prolific self seeder." Prolific is the perfect word. Surrounding the Hibiscus trees whose lovely pink and lavender flowers brightened the late summer are thousands of babies starting to take over the garden. Every hour that I've spend in the garden since then has been dedicated to pulling them up. There are thousands yet to be removed. I may have to resort to more drastic, less organic measures.

It looks like I'll be spending a lot of time and energy un-planting before I can think about planting anything.

Ultra Violet

This evening, after a lightly rainy day, portions of the sidewalks were carpeted with multi-colored maple leaves. Various shades of red, orange, yellow -- and violet. They reminded me of the Liquid Amber tree my mother planted in the front yard to bring some fall foliage color to Southern California. Sadly, I didn't have my camera with me. But here are photos I took of some other vibrant violet visions.

The Violet of the Beauty Berries is deepening

These amazing Tricyrtis Miyazak have an unfortunate
common name: Toad Lily 

Aconitum (Monks hood): mysterious looking and poisonous.

These look like a giant version of a plant we used to
put in terrariums in the 70's

The raspberries are still producing. This is one morning's
pickings minus 1/2 cup I ate while picking.
(On the red side of red violet -- and very delicious)

Red October

While the retail stores are displaying Halloween and Thanksgiving decorations, my garden has decided to celebrate Christmas with an all out display of red flowers, berries and fruit everywhere.

Red pommes (not berries) on a
Pyracantha outside the kitchen

I wish I knew what these 3/4" diameter
balls are that are weighing down branches
to the ground in our front yard

Yew tree outside my office

Cherry Tomatoes from a volunteer
plant behind the air conditioners

Pretty red azaleas that the deer haven't
eaten yet

The raspberries are still
bearing fruit

     

A shade of red counts, too.

And the red violet delight of Beauty Berries -- with a special green visitor.

Falling

A massive White Oak is shedding
like crazy

FALL
I love the Autumn. Waking in crisp morning air and feeling the cool that lingers in the shadows after the sun has risen and warmed everything else. Autumn always feels like the start of the real new year — not January 1st. Maybe because that's when school started. Maybe because my birthday is on the first day of Autumn.

Found under a spreading Chestnut
tree (no Smithy was standing there)

 

The color of the wood is a clue
that this is a Cherry tree

FALLEN
I have always collected bright colored leaves as I walked my dog. I had no idea how many more options there are in New Jersey. The Colorado climate limits which trees can grow. When I walk this property and the neighborhood streets, I'm constantly amazed by how many more shapes and sizes there are. And now, they're my homework for the Master Gardeners Program. We're to make a Tree/Shrub ID Scrapbook with 5 conifers, 10 shrubs and 10 deciduous trees and describe their arrangement of leaves, the bark, flowers and fruit.  Now when I walk the dog, I marvel at the amazing varieties of tree bark and look for identifying clues.

A few days ago, I watched an elderly Asian woman stomping on large hairy balls that were falling from a tree, then picking something up and collecting them in a bag. They turned out to be Chestnuts. Problem is there are four major kinds of chestnuts, so I have to study stem and leaf formations to be able label which one it is.

Cutting down an old tree

FELLED

A planter stand is all
that's left

We had to have a dead tree cut down. It was a 50-year-old Norway Spruce that had been killed by borers. It was quite an operation. It's amazing how much damage some tiny worms can do to a massive tree.

FREE FALL
Last Monday, my husband and I celebrated my 60th birthday by parachuting from a plane. It was a spectacular day and we jumped through clouds to see vast green farm fields spreading around us. It was a beautiful and adrenaline-pumping way celebrate a milestone.

Jumping into my sixth decade!