" I'll Be In The Greenhouse "

Menagerie Manor is a busy place these days, the driveway has an abundance of vehicles, rooms buzz with voices and the kitchen is once again the hub of excitement.  I mentioned in an earlier post that our eldest son and his wife have separated and he moved back into his old room at the top of the stairs bringing with him his Boston Bull "Popeye".  MeMa's good friend Andrea also going through a divorce stays with us as well.  So once again I find quiet solitude out in the garden.  Don't get me wrong, I love my life and the people in it.  They unfortunately have quite a bit of drama going on in their personal lives and when discussion leads to these dramas I am probably the least likely to keep a level head and mouth shut, unlike my beautiful wife who stays calm and often comes up with the most logical solutions to familial drama.  With that said I must tell you I am amazed at how much I have gotten done in the gardens.   I have gotten enough of the re-landscaping done to the back that I was able to plant next years crop of garlic on schedule, twice as many clumps as last year.  I spent one afternoon putting the bubble wrap insulation up in the greenhouse (note to self, remember to put it up before filling the greenhouse with all the pots of tender tropical plants for winter storage....duh)! I cleaned out the chicken house, sprayed for lice and covered the floor and nest boxes with nice fresh straw.  Dug all the dahlia tubers and am drying them for winter storage.  Pruned all the roses down to three feet so that they won't be damaged by winter wind, along with all the dormant pruning to many of the other trees and shrubbery.  All this was accomplished while keeping my mouth shut and head in the game....most of the time.

Even with the cold and very wet weather we still have a few things in bloom in and out of the greenhouse!  I love this little Chrysanthemum, it reminds me of a picture of the sun that the "Little Terrorist drew and stuck on the fridge.  All they need is the smiley face in the center.

And fresh from the greenhouse Orchid #49, which happens to be MeMa's favorite, Miltassia 'Shelob Tolkien'

While I was taking a break in the sun room Ray and Peter, MeMa's two canaries were quietly singing away when they took fright of something outdoors, I was able to grab a photo of a Red Shafted Flicker hanging on the side of the Redwood looking for insects.