Scratching Deer ~ And 53 You Say?

Fall is ebbing into winter and the threat of frost is eminent.  I had moved most of the winter tender plants into the greenhouse when this old man’s back decided to show its age.  It really is all my fault as I forget that I am not the young nimble gardener that I used to be and don’t take precautions like lifting properly and doing so with the aid of my back support strapped securely in place instead of hanging on its hook in my closet.  My back is better now but I am holding off moving the three largest pots into the greenhouse until one of our son’s are able to assist.  We also moved all of my orchid collection into the sun room for the winter as the heating in the greenhouse is getting old and expensive to maintain at 78 degrees throughout the cold winter months.  I turned the thermostat down to 45 and if the remaining plants seem to hold their own it may get turned down lower.

Orchid # 63 an odd looking little miltonia obviously enjoying the warmth of the sun room

Last week MeMa, myself and the dogs spent a few days at the family cabin.  We packed up Thursday evening and zipped out of the city.  It takes one hour from Menagerie Manor to the gates of the compound and every time  we arrive I wonder why we just don’t do it more often.  It is very relaxing and the air is clear, clean and woodsy smelling.  I had to go into the office Friday morning to finish a project and returning to the city with a large list of things to bring back to the cabin.  MeMa spent Friday clearing out all of my late mothers things and doing a thorough cleaning of the entire cabin, a job none of the rest of us were looking forward to.  Her goal was nothing more than to make coming there easier on my father.  When I got back to the cabin there were a mountain of boxes and bags to deliver to the nearest charity drop off and I filled the back of my work van.

Saturday was a day of rest……well sort of.  Being under a canopy of deciduous trees the roof and rain gutters were packed with leaves and forest debris.  We worked like troopers cleaning and clearing up the massive piles of leaves.  The deer that live in the surrounding forest are very tame and if the dogs are indoors, will allow you to stroke their noses and ears.  We only pray they never leave the compound as they would be easy targets for hunters.

Sunday was the day to celebrate MeMa’s birthday.  Our boys and their families and my father were coming for supper.  Unfortunately Ian, the youngest was sick so he and his family stayed home.  Nathan our eldest and his family arrived and my father as well.  We all enjoyed the meal and while MeMa, Nathan,  Jackie and the “Little Terrorists” all went swimming my father and I did the washing up.  On their return we had cake that I had my father pick up from the baker in town.  When I placed my order I told them to put 58^th  and not her actual 60^th.  When the box was opened we were surprised to find it read 53^rd, I don’t think the mistake bothered MeMa at all.

Ever Faithful He Keeps His Watch

"I think I heard her"




MeMa has been gone since last Saturday and Friday could not come soon enough.  Every time a car goes by Popeye runs to the sun room steps and stares at the garage door.  I have given up trying to stop him as he is completely sure that this one will be her.

A Bit Of A Catch Up

It is a bit sad to do so but I refer to the year of 2013 as the year of the plague, sounds horrible but with five deaths in the family one begins to wonder.  Last week dare I say but great aunt Lorainne passed, yep that makes an even six....ho boy!  Aunt Lorainne was well into her 90,s maybe even 100 I just didn't have the nerve to ask.  Our immediate family are all doing quite well, the Little Terrorists all starting school except Lucifer....I mean Lucy.  Dear sweet Little Lucy who started her "terrible two's" at about age.....one, she will be two this Christmas.



Yes, that is our Lucy on the right

School makes it hard for MeMa and I to see much of the five grandchildren, but we still have soccer filled Saturdays and MeMA watches or chases Lucy every Thursday.
MeMa and my father are driving to Phoenix Arizona this Saturday as my twin brother is having the mass and celebration of life after for his late partner Tony.  Since I spent the week with him just after Tony's passing I decided to stay here.
The creatures here at Menagerie Manor are all doing fairly well.  Maxwell the cat is fifteen and unfortunately is on the downside of age and health and I fear one morning soon we will not be greeted by his insistence for his morning bowl of meat.  We try to make him as comfortable as possible until that end.  The "Little Nazi" Sophie still chooses to ignore the rules of the house, especially the one of no dogs on the furniture.......

"I am invisible"

Miss Betty is doing great and zooms everywhere in her splashy red cart and wheels with Popeye close by.  Popeye always a brick short of a full load still finds Betty's cart fascinating as though it was a new and amazing thing.

 

 

When he gets a bit out of line Miss Betty sets him straight.

 

The canaries are finishing with their moult and starting to sing again

  

With the approach of fall weather the koi are getting fat, ready for their long winter hibernation.

 Though the gardens at Menagerie Manor are looking a bit sad due to our absence, the greenhouse occupants are flourishing from the large orchids......

.......to the little cacti seedlings.

 

Soon we will be filling all available space in the greenhouse with winter tender plants such as everything below in the "Yuma Garden".

 

Our banana pathway sports some real giants this year, it will be a shame to see them die down in winter but with next springs arrival they will be even larger.

 

The chicken house has now been turned solely into a garden house and with the addition of this very sturdy steel shelving unit and MeMa's supervision it is quite a tidy outcome

 I even made use of the old nest boxes.

So even with all the adversity that life can throw in our path....we carry on.

 

Padding The Retirement Account?

"My "Retirement Bank"




This old classic sat in my fathers office for many years before his retirement fom the same company I work for.  I was thrilled when he asked if I would like to install it in my office.  My office staff made quick work of the contents. 
Thanks for the contributions......I don't think it was enough to retire on yet.

We Have Kittens

We have kittens!  Well not the fuzzy milk lapping pooping in a box kind, but cute little muck sucking finny kind of kittens.  A good friend of mine showed up at my office the other day and asked if I had room for some kittens in my pond?  I looked incredulous at him thinking that he intended on tossing a burlap sack of screeching kittens  into the pond.  I quickly rose from my desk ready to toss him out when he started to laugh and said he had saved about twenty little catfish from a band of hungry crows that had already devoured who knows how many of their little brethren.  My friend and his family usually spend a portion of their summer camping along a little creek but this year the creek was just about dry, probably because of beavers that build dams further up the creek.  Crows ever the opportunists saw the poor little catfish and decided not to eat at McDonald's that day and have fresh catfish.  Before they got their camp set up they set forth with buckets in hand and managed to save the remaining "kittens".  I have a small pond in the greenhouse that I overwinter water plants in so I took several of the little darlings home to Menagerie Manor.  Our koi pond would not be a safe haven for these baby catfish as there is already an extremely large resident catfish "Medusa" who has gotten that big by eating everything that comes her way.

One of four "kittens" next to a normal size marble

 

 A note of apology,

I received a laptop computer as a gift from my father and was building this post in draft, but instead of saving it in draft it posted it.......oops! It was really rough and no spell check, Crow was nice enough to leave a comment although I amazes me how he managed to make sense of that gobbledy goop.  Sorry Cro, you are a gentleman for not commenting on that mess.