Leaves Are Not the Only Things That Fall
A day when I couldn’t stay in the house. When the sun is bright, there needed to be serious checks on the last items to take care of. Our three-tier planter gives us months of color. Though the flowers were still willing, I knew that the pots needed to be emptied. After I broke off the begonias, the good potting soil was spread on the Fern Peony plants. 
There was still a lot of good nutrients to add for the the next spring. With the leaves of the huge Maple and Oak tree covering the yard, it was hard to tell where the plants were. It was also hard to see where my feet needed to be. With a pot of dirt in one hand, I did a three point landing in the garden. It’s a good thing the wind wasn’t blowing, the leaves would have covered me up. I definitely would not make good compost. My first check was to make sure the titanium shoulders and knees were in working order. They were in good shape. After getting up and brushing myself off, I can tell you that thereafter, I was very cautious.
Larry and Fuzzy were busy checking out every mound of potting dirt that I spread. The two little cats are barely a hand full but they don’t miss a beat. If by chance, there were leaves that had been blown into a mound, all that was visible were the tips of their tails as they were checking out what may have been at the bottom of the mound of leaves. The entertainment value that they bring is priceless. The rustling of the leaves was not entirely made by the cats. The squirrels are trying to get every Black Walnut possible before the snow begins falling for the season. It amazes me that they can find them under the leaves. I doubt they will be going hungry this winter. Don’t worry, if by chance they need an extra snack, they will be snatching Meow Mix that Dennis will have out for the cats that find their way onto our patio.
The red fruit on the Ornamental Crab Apple tree will be picked clean by the birds as the winter months go on. It is amazing how many birds do well during the cold months.
We did leave several chairs out on the patio and I made very good use of one of them. With the empty flower pots tucked into the potting shed, I had done all that I had intended to do outside. Sitting on the patio in the sun, I enjoyed watching some of the birds that were taking advantage of the fruit that was on the Ornamental Crab Apple tree. This afternoon does close another season of gardening here on Stauffer Avenue. Each spring I look at the bleak yard and wonder if the gardens are worth all the work. I got up from the lawn chair to head in for a cup of hot coffee, and realized that the feeling I had in the hip that had hit the dirt first was bound to leave a black and blue mark. If I don’t begin being a bit more careful, I won’t have that choice in the springs that are yet to be.