Re: [gardeners] In the garden
Cheryl & Erich Schaefer (gardeners@globalgarden.com)
Mon, 1 Dec 1997 18:49:23 -0500
>It's a cool, bright day here in SW Louisiana. Miz Anne's still abed and the
>pup and I have been fed, read the Sunday papers, and the pup is taking a
>little practice nap before lunch. It's about 60F with light winds, partly
>cloudy with lots of sunshine for a fall day.
Well, it was a bright, cool day in west central New York on Saturday,
temperature about 50, which for this area is perfect fall gardening
weather, so... I harvested the remains of the only thing edible in the
garden, one celery. I cut down the peonies, tidied up the pots and tucked
them in the greenhouse with overwintering plants, raked leaves and tried
not to think about what it would be like gardening further south. I weeded
around irises, cut a few plants back, hauled off much debris and generally
felt proud of myself, particularly since it was quite muddy. I choose not
to comment on the largesse coming out of your veggie patch, George.
>We had a lovely Thanksgiving with our daughter and her teenagers and had a
>short visit with our son and his spouse while in Houston. Sleepy the dawg
>was mighty happy to get back home, she has been catching up on her sleep
>since Friday night, making up for the hours she spent guarding us while in
>a strange place. Miz Anne and I were also right happy to be back home,
>amidst our "stuff" and our gardens. Hope all of you had a good holiday and
>are prepared for the next one.
Thanksgiving was a proper northeast affair at my brother's outside New York
City: perfect autumn weather, turkey, stuffing, sweet potatoes, parsnips,
beets, pies and Rolaids. On Friday I took my daughter to the Metropolitan
Museum of Art at 81st & Fifth Ave., then down Madison and Fifth Avenues to
marvel at the goodies in the windows, and at all the people, all the way to
44th St. There were more people in the streets than I had ever seen before,
save on New Year's Eve in Times Square. It was exciting and exhausting and
we're glad to be back home, too, where a crowd is 20 people, not 20,000 - a
conservative estimate of the people in the museum alone.
I've decided not to cut down all the plants because I like the snow on
them, and the birds that stay for the winter use them to perch and hide. It
truly isn't an excuse since it's easier to do now than in spring. Besides,
it looks too bare. I'll mulch what needs to be when the ground freezes,
then I'll sit with my feet up and peruse the catalogs.
Cheryl Schaefer
schaefer @epix.net
Zone 5 in the fabulous Finger Lakes of NY