A Slip In Time

A week ago while Theresa was in Texas, I had a slip that changed my plans. I had planned to do so much while I was alone: gardening, planting a new tree and a general cleanup of the garage and the property. Everything changed when I decided to take a shower before bedtime. I had been fishing all day with friends and smelled of fish and fish bait. I decided to have a hot shower and to just stand in the stream to relax and revitalize my tired bones.

All went well for the 20 minutes under the hot water but I decided to shampoo my hair as well. I took too much shampoo and covered my head and the overflow trickled down to my eyes. This happens on a regular basis but this time my eyes really stung... I rinsed and the shower was covered with suds. I reached for the large towel and started to rub my eyes and hair. As I stepped out of the shower my left foot touched the mat but my right foot reached slippery tile.

With my towel over my head,  the first thing I saw was my right foot flying in the air and I was on my way back. I pulled the towel tightly over my head fearing an impact with the floor. I saved my head but my right hip and knee met the tile with a crack. I was stunned and lay there naked as a jay bird and in no condition to move. All kinds of thoughts came to pass over my clouded brain. Did I break my hip? My knee, was it OK?

I lay there for five minutes and when the pain subsided I reached for the tortured parts and found everything as it should be except there was a cruel pain in my right leg. I rolled over and attempted to get to my knees. I was unable to do so but I reached the door under the sink and eventually to the sink itself and began to pull myself up. I managed to get to my knees and with a special effort made it up on one leg.

I dried myself off and with the help of the wall and furniture made it to the bed and my clothes pilled  up on the floor. I could not reach them so I grabbed my housecoat and with a lurch managed to get to my easy chair. After all the wings were playing hockey and I could not miss that. After a small drink of rum and Pepsi I settled into a sleep in the chair. I missed most of the game but woke up feeling better.

From now on I will never come out of that shower with a towel over my head.

Fall Cleanup

This week I have been trying to get my fall work completed as we only have five more days  before departing to the south. I really have a problem with growing old as it takes me so much longer to do half as much I just marvel at what I did when I was 65.

The rhubarb had to be helped this year as it was a dry one so more cow manure and littler TLC to bring us a good crop next year.All of our fruit trees needed pruning and I do French pruning which means prune when they need it. Our pear tree is such a fast grower that I prune almost a third every year. The rest are pruned basically to make a path through to the back yard.

Our English Ivy has taken a hold and talk about stubborn to clean up. The Boston Ivy is beautiful in the fall with it's brilliant red colour but it too may be problems if not controlled. Now the bad part when you have to cut the flowers off and put them in the compost. This year the flowers were stressed during the summer heat but really rebounded with the fall cool temperatures.

All during my cleanup I have a pet Chipmunk who follows me around and makes a racket every time I cut a flower. He knows  it is fall and soon winter. We make sure he has a good store of peanuts  for the winter. I keep all of our hanging baskets and geraniums in our garage and they last for years.

This fall I am specially careful with my winter prep as I will pay the price next spring if I do not. I hope I will not get in trouble for working on Sunday as we as kids were never permitted to do much on Sunday except go to church.

Thanksgiving Weekend

Thanksgiving weekend is very special for our family. It is not only a time to realize just how fortunate we really are but it is our family get together. For us it is the turning point and turn around time as we trek to our southern home right after the shared time with family.

Fall is in the air and leaves are falling, my garden is out, and ground prepared for next spring and I am looking forward to our Florida garden. There is always a hint of sadness at the end of the Thanksgiving celebrations as we will not see our friends and family until Christmas. This year Doris will not be sharing time with us in Florida and we will miss her. Good telephone plans help to keep in close contact.

During the last week I have renewed contact with several friends from the past and that brought some joy to our life. It is almost like getting a surprise gift when the phone rings or you get an email from friends with whom you have not been in contact for some time.

This year all of our family with the exception of one  will share hours of time and Lynda's home will a hub of activity. Lively discussions, stories and some achievements told and sometimes embellished by the younger ones makes for real good family time.

When I was in the High Arctic I had a Thanksgiving turkey and invited my young friends to a special dinner. I tried to make it as much like our traditional dinner to stay off the lonely feeling I had from being separated from my family at this time. The Inuit children were great and followed all the rules I made to give them a special experience. It was special and after dinner and cleanup we spoke of the meaning of thanksgiving. I was amazed at the conversation from the little ones and what they were thankful for. Every one was thankful for an unselfish memory and before leaving to face the below zero weather I received thanks and a hug from each. I shall always remember that first Thanksgiving dinner away from home and family and how the Inuit Children made me think about all the wonderful life  experiences I received throughout my life. Now I miss those kids and their wonderful ability to be thankful for very little.

Last Rose of Summer

On the last day of summer my garden looked better than it did during the drought of this summer.I wandered around the house and took a few pictures and noticed that the beans, Swiss chard ,peppers and Tomatoes were still producing and happy with the cool nights.

Our last days of summer came with good rain and the ground really needed it. The trees specially require that they go to bed with wet feet so we should make sure that they get a good soaking before the frost. Fall is a nice comfortable time of the year as it slowly gets us ready for the chill of winter.

Our leaves will not be as brilliant as usual because of the drought but some re already turning colour and look OK. We usually take a drive up on the escarpment which is covered with deciduous trees. Hard maple and red maple are prominent but the yellows and purples mixed in make a perfect fall bouquet.

While I was taking pictures Chipper our chipmunk was following along and begging for peanuts.

I have a few weeks left to feed the rhubarb and lawn before departing for our winter retreat and shall take in all our fall beauty because there is no such a display in the deep south.

First Frost

This morning we experienced the first white frost. While picking up the paper I was surprised to see frost on the car roof and the houses with white shingles. It is the middle of September and we see the changes in the weather in a dramatic manner. The days seem to get shorter quickly and the night time temps. fall to make sleeping comfortable again.

For us it is canning time and we completed the task of using our tomatoes and produce to put away enough spaghetti sauce for the winter. This year I planted half of our tomatoes with Roma brand and had a huge crop. I think they are the very best for sauce.

With little more than a month before migrating south we have to prepare our gardens and trees for the winter. With the failure of the apple crop this year there is a prediction for a bumper crop next year as the trees have had a season to rebuild their strength. All but a few apple farmers had a dismal crop this year and we will pay at the markets with higher than normal costs for our favourite fruit.

With the fall weather and schools and colleges in session we golfers have a better choice at good times to play.

A Hint of Coolness

My friend Don  came out with this expression some time ago and we all laughed because it sounded so poetic. This morning when I went out to pick up my paper there was more than a hint of coolness as a brisk breeze with 10 degree temperatures gave me the signal that fall was really here. It was rather refreshing to wear a T shirt and a light sweater. When Theresa and I went for our evening walk around our block we noticed signs of fall. The most remarkable was the white oak dropping its acorns. This tree hangs over the sidewalk and is prolific in its ability to cover the walk every year with the biggest acorns. Four black squirrels were filling their pouches  and scampering off to their winter storage hid away.

Other signs of fall creeping up is the yellow buses are on the road again, slowing up traffic and causing people to get frustrated because they never counted on the extra ten minutes it takes to get to work on time. A sure sign is our neighbour leaving her house with orange jacket and signs of her job, she is a crossing guard. At nearly eighty years of age she never missed a day on the job and loves her time on the street regardless of the weather.

Golf rates go down a little and with falling leaves it is harder to keep your eye on the ball and some time is spent looking for elusive or stray golf shots. It is also the best time of the year for golfers as the courses are not crowded and kids are in school. As the leaves turn colour and the days become even shorter there is a sort of urgency to get in as much golf as possible before you have to put your clubs away.

Fall ushers in a small migration to the universities. This year again two of our grandchildren go off to get new and wonderful experiences at places of higher learning. With eight grandchildren there has been a succession of our kids leaving. This enriches the discussions we have at family gatherings. With five of the eight already in the process the other three are about to move on as their cousins did and I can just imagine what a great time we will have when politics or religion is on the discussion paper. There is no sadness when these young people move on as  they have the privilege of contributing to their own better life. We miss them when they leave for short times but love their return with new and exciting ideas.

Yesterday I rotor tilled the small garden where cucumbers, potatoes and  carrots grew. The Swiss chard will last until heavy frost. It was a dry year and as I tilled the soil I could see how the dryness had a negative effect on our gardens and wish for a rainy fall. The trees especially need moisture before the winter and there have been warnings this year that many of our trees have been stressed  and could be damaged during the dry winter months.

Yes there is a coolness in the air but with a provincial election coming up we could see some heat generated and the temperature rising.

Feels Like Fall

This morning when I retrieved my Toronto Star paper I felt a hint of coolness in the air. Yesterday I dug my ten hills of potatoes and picked the apples off the young tree as the birds were interested in taking bites from them. It seemed early but it was time. We have already made our spaghetti sauce for the next year and although we do not get as ambitious as we used to we have effectively completed these little tasks before September.

This makes it possible to enjoy the beautiful fall weather and get some serious biking and outdoor activities going. We prefer this season for golf as well because when school begins the courses are not crowded and the price drops a little.Ontario has such a variety of deciduous hardwoods that the colours make our countryside some of the most beautiful found anywhere.

I prefer to prepare my garden beds early in the fall and do a double tilling to rid them of weeds. This year I was bothered for the second year with peach curl. This deadly disease ruined the nectarine crop and I cannot get rid of it. I followed the instructions but with no avail. Because of the dryness of July and August all the fruit seem smaller and I would not consider this a good year overall. My water bill reflected my need to keep everything damp but tap water is not rain and I feel the chemicals in the tap water a hindrance to growth.

One thing that comes to mind when mother nature warns us of cooler weather is the call to the south. We begin to think about and plan for our migration to Florida.This is just a reminder now but on each cooler day we start to talk about our place there and wonder how everything is after six months of neglect. One more little distraction is that hurricane season is with us and we keep our fingers crossed to ward off any real bad storms.

10.10.10.

This particular date will not occur for another 100 years so we should make it special. Many of my friends are celebrating this day as turkey day with family and friends gathering to feast on a special Thanksgiving dinner. It is also a time of reflection where we can count our blessings and many gifts which we take for granted most every day.

Personally I am most thankful for family and good health. Our family and extended family are blessed with good health mostly and are able to live a full life with all its value. Today we shall gather at my daughters home (daughter #1) and experience that special feeling when you are together as a family. As we are spread around the province is not always possible for us all to get together but we must count the ones who are there and remember the ones who are missing.

This has been a particularly difficult year for me with the death of several close friends and health issues for others.This can be expected at my age but it doesn't make it any easier. This week Theresa and I have been busy putting our yard in order for the winter and packing for our time down south. The beautiful colours of the leaves and bushes tell us it is time for the migration to take place and the tree full of birds yesterday was a sure sign.

It has been a great year for butterflies and the Monarch is starting to form groups on their way to Mexico. We have seen huge flocks over the years on our way to Florida. We were lucky this year to be home to four hatchings of house and song sparrows. Our bird houses were full all summer and provided us with entertainment.

One incident was of special mention when I heard Doris and Theresa shouting about a large bird by our fish ponds. It was a huge Sand Hill Crane standing over our goldfish ready to have a colourful snack when the shouts scared him away. It was such a large bird that it had trouble taking off over our tall Maple Trees in the back yard but it managed and we still have our little fish. They stay in the ponds over winter and manage quite well.

Mother nature this year provided us with bumper crops of vegetables and fruit. Flowers and trees flourished and we reaped the benefits of her bounty and beauty for which we are thankful.

There are so many things we can be thankful for it would be impossible to state them all. We should be thankful for the young men and women who are in far away places defending our country's orders to participate in wars. I will be thankful when the world finds other ways to solve their differences like maybe having our leaders duel or something.

Finally, after all this rambling, I feel blessed to live in a country with all its faults and to feel free to make my own path to peace and happiness in our family circle.

Dreary Weather

The last few weeks have been dreary from a weather perspective but good for the garden and trees.A damp fall brings needed moisture to the ground and the trees have a good water base for winter. The garlic I planted only six days ago is now sprouting well and I fear it will grow too much before snow cover.

Strawberries I transplanted several weeks ago have been sending out runners and are healthy. I shall cover them with mulch for the winter and clear the mulch in the spring. This year I had some peach curl on my nectarine tree and I have to be careful to collect all the leaves and destroy them as well as treat the tree fall and spring to get rid of that disease.

I was in a transplanting mood and moved my two high bush blueberry trees to a new location. Cedar droppings stunted these young trees and I had no berries this year. I moved some of the rhubarb for the same reason and should have more success next year..

We have a problem with sunlight as tall trees surround our property and this cuts the direct sunlight to a few hours a day in the front and back parts of our lot. The side spaces are narrow but get plenty of sunlight and do well. Unfortunately they are narrow .

The weather is so important and here in Southern Ontario a late frost in spring or an early fall freeze up can be disastrous. I am ready early this year and have put all my plants to bed and the beds prepared for planting next spring. I make the mistake of gathering the seeds for next year and not labeling them. This fall I have done this for the first time and should be off and running in the spring if I can remember where I put them for safe keeping. Dreary weather is really not that bad.