Early Autumn

 

 Another damp misty morning... Autumn has come so early his year. It's been rainy, wet and cold for the past week. There was even a dusting of snow! The garden seems unaffected and the trees don't mind. I admit I've enjoyed having the fireplace on regularly. We've already started on garden clean-up - lot's of work to do!

 

~ Do you look forward to Autumn's arrival each year? Or, do you dread it? ~

(With winter weather yet to come?!)

Morning Garden Moments

 

I so enjoy checking-up on the back garden with an espresso in-hand on a quiet weekend morning. The dappled sun inserts bright pockets of uplifting light throughout the garden...

 

A relaxing reading corner and bench on the deck catches all of the morning sun. Such a perfect spot to start the day.

Another project completed by our outstanding contractor, Iron Owl. Justin and his team were able to squeeze us into the schedule and hammered out this beautiful Roman Euro stone path in just two days! Thank you again, Iron Owl! It is such a relief to see this area that was formerly dead grass (we tried and tried) turned into some thing attractive and useful. There is more room on the driveway now, and the path leads straight to the garden gate. We love it!

 

 

~ Remember to enjoy those summer moments - it never lasts for long! ~

 

 

Deck Completion & A Woodland Garden

Shall I remind you again what the 'monster' deck looked like before? Now that it has been fully completed, the comparison is quite something.

We were so pleased with our contract or, Iron Owl, and their work. We could not have envisioned a better result!

 

We had a few days before the glass would be installed, so we worked on planting a woodland garden in the dirt space that was exposed by reducing the deck size. Initially, we thought it would be  almost impossible to dig in this area, but it was quiet easy and only took us a couple of hours. The best part: some ladies walking by asked for my business card. They thought I was a gardener for hire! It made my day!

 

 

Bertie's kitty gate turned-out beautifully. Justin, owner of Iron Owl, created the gate so that Bertie could not get to the deck from the backyard area when we take him out for his romps in the back garden. In the past, he had been sneaking onto the deck and escaping onto the front street. Yes, if he really wanted to he could jump over it; but, he seems uninterested and it's an obstacle for him to consider.

 

Winter Beasts

There are two beasts in my life right now. One is our 'monster' deck - which has been with us since we bought this house. The other beast is this frigidly cold looooooooooong winter-spring. This year, it seems Old Man Winter has decided to become a permanent resident. He is an unwelcome visitor.

This spring or summer (when the snow finally melts) the monster deck shall be tamed. Work was estimated to begin in April (ahem) The deck, you see, is far too large. I often compare it to  a vessel from a cruise line docked beside our house. The deck will be removed and replaced by a slightly smaller version.  We are reducing the depth by almost 4 ft so it won't protrude towards the street so much. Between this adjustment and some privacy glass, sitting on the deck will be a far more private experience.

 

Usually by April, the deck is clear of snow. A few snow showers usually happen, but it's welcome moisture. My annuals and some select perennials are stored in the garage by now; while we till soil and tidy-up garden borders. By the end of April, I typically have all of my containers planted and simply cover them at night until end of May or early June. At 3000 ft above sea level the nights can still be quite cold.

But alas, this year is different. The golf courses are behind opening, the ski hills are closing as their seasonal staff have taken other jobs, or are returning home to Europe or Australia.

I have NEVER EVER experienced a winter here that has been so cold for so long and with this much snow accumulation. I believe we broke a record at one point, and then broke our own record. Hooray?

 

~ Wherever you are, be it warm or cold; take care of you and yours tonight, ~

and look forward to the good things to come..

 

 

Thanksgiving Al Fresco

So, we were able to have our rustic Thanksgiving outdoor feast after all! We set-up a table for 10 outside, and a table for 6 inside so guests had the option. Overall, it was a great night and we even had the honor of having our good friend, Chef Judy Wood as a guest. A big thank-you to my cousin's wife, Melissa for snapping this shot while all the activity was going on in the kitchen! 

We returned from San Francisco and Napa Valley on Friday. Was gorgeous. Lots to share soon!

Fall.....Happens

I looked outside a couple of days ago and noticed that this had happened. 'This' being the sprinkling of crisp yellow leaves scattered like treasured gold coins all over our deck....

 

 

...And so it has begun; the autumnal equinox has moved in and is making way for the next season. It's the first day of autumn on Tuesday. Time to get out the fan rake and begin stocking-up for the season ahead. 'Someone' is already filling his cupboard! Hope you're enjoying a gorgeous weekend.

Monster Deck

 

It looked innocent enough. A simple coat of grey paint had been smeared over the deck boards by the previous owners and we would just need to hose it down for some spring clean-up. But as each inch of snow melted, it was evident that the deck needed a full re-sanding. It was a hideous peeling beast with four layers in different colors of a paint. There was no way we would take this job on ourselves.

We hired Thomas and his crew to sand down the deck and re-stain it. We just wanted to get a couple of years out of it before replacing it with composite and a privacy glass railing.

As the guys persevered, eventually, it was time for some staging! My favorite part!

Overall, we're really happy with how it's turned out. This was a project that we were not expecting to take on as we have so many others on the go currently. We celebrated it's completion with a nice bottle of wine. Let the summer begin!