To borrow from Mr. Rogers – it’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood.
This photo was taken yesterday at the reservoir that provides water for Portsmouth. The fall color is stunning, but there is no water going over the spillway because we are still under severe drought conditions.
I’ve been composting annuals, deadheading, dividing and moving perennials and shrubs, and incorporating compost into the veggie beds.
I also worked several days on a new duck house. I’m the gofer, holder, and painter. I do love to paint. This was definitely a DIY/repurposing project since we took down a tree fort my husband built the grandkids and included those materials in the construction. There are six resident ducks, and they seem to be pretty happy with their new home.
Saturday we held our first fall MG plant potting party. I dug up buckets of perennials and along with nine other MGs, we potted up 312 plants in three hours. They are being over wintered at a member ‘s house who has 15 acres. He dug trenches, the plants were put in, soil added on all sides, and then they will be covered. We’re hoping the plants will be well established and bigger for the 2017 plant sale.
Two gardeners brought me gifts. Did you ever wonder what one gardener gives to another? I received a fresh butternut squash and Jack in the Pulpit seeds, and I smiled all the way home.
Before I headed home, I stopped by McKenzie’s Farm and bought some fresh apple cider cinnamon donuts and macoun apples. I must confess that one of those donuts didn’t make it home and was eaten warm while I headed down the road. Ah, fall, it is a wonderful time of year especially before I have to start raking.
This week I’ll take in the potting tables, bird baths, and other things that need to be stored in the barn and not left out under feet of snow.
Next Saturday, I’ll spend the day in Concord at the MG Fall Conference. Rick Darke will be discussing Layering, Designing, and Maintaining the Living Landscape, Elizabeth Farnsworth will talk about climate change and the effect on plant life here, and Chris Schadler will tell us about the Eastern Coyote in New England. My pulse is quickening already.
How’s this mid week in October looking for you? 🍁
Ah, fall–so many chores! But, as you say, the chores are leavened by the foliage colors and the cider donuts!! Your foliage photo is perfect, in spite of the low water. Our lake is approaching its historic low level–where is the rain??
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Wow – those colours are amazing. I could just eat a warm apple cider cinnamon doughnut!
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Gorgeous colors! The leaves are just beginning to change here in southern Virginia. The colors are pretty, but they’re subtle. We’re a couple of weeks away from the kind of beauty you’re getting now.
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Ahhhh Judy – I smiled to see you smiling home with yOur gifts! It is a beautiful day!
We used to harvest blackberries every June or early July and the. Eat part was sharing
– anyhow – it looks like mr rogers would have hummed in your colorful area!
🍁🍂🍃
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What a beautiful photo, Judy. Thanks for sharing a bit of NH fall color. I hope you’ll give us a picture of the duck house (I’ve never heard of those) and I look forward to a report from next weekend.
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Yes yes! I’d like to see the duck house, as well!
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You’ve been a busy girl! And that is a beautiful autumn photo.
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Beautiful shot. The colors are splendid here too but now there’s more leaves on the ground than left in the trees. I’m hoping to get out for a nice hike next weekend to capture some of it before it’s too late for this season.
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Such pretty colors. There aren’t a lot of “reds” in my area (yellow is prevalent), so I appreciate looking at your photo, Judy. Sounds like you have been busy in the yard, but that’s a fun, therapeutic fun, right?
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3-5 hours is therapeutic. After that, it is painful. Right now I’ve got a heating pad on my back so I can head back out tomorrow. 🙂
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312 plants in 3 hours! Oh, my back!! But actually, what a great idea. Planning ahead. And, me too, I like painting. It’s old of those instant gratification projects. I’ll be interested to hear how your conference goes next week…
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Beautiful photo! And I love hearing all you’ve done in the garden – I get a little crabby over the summer & lose my interest a bit – but fall makes me love the yard all over again.
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The gardens are definitely going to sleep. The hosta are all fading into a yellow color and laying down. Leaves and pine needles are flying all around. Mother Nature is busy out there. 🙂
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I have to check out the orchards and see how apples are coming. It’s just about time … but we had that plague, so I’m not sure if we have crops this year. Hope so. Colors are finally really UP. But water is still low. Not quite as low as it was and there is some water coming over the dam. It’s the first time we’ve have water in the fall in at least five years. Lots of little bitty rains apparently add up.
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Glad to hear your water level is coming back up. Ours hasn’t yet so we’ll keep hoping for some more rain. The one thing I noticed when buying the apples was how small many of them are. There were some so small they looked like plums. I guess no water will do that. 🙂
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are these wild ducks that are just hanging around and you built them a house or are you or your daughter raising ducks? I see a post subject in this question ha ha!
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A friend of my son-in-law gave my daughter the six ducks when they were babies – four females and two males, three gray and three black. Your grandkids would love them. They are truly funny to watch and are so different from the chickens. They are like a family and move as one unit. The black male makes this hysterical noise – sounds like he is laughing out loud. 🙂
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Gorgeousness! 😀 Oh how I love fall!
We’ll have that here in a week or two. Hard to say, usually we have it by now…
I made my annual pilgrimage south, to the forest and the lake, and it was replete with beauty, although not quite at its peak. We’ll go out Ohio River way later this month, and maybe then it will be peak.
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Love reading about your varied activities and interests Judy. Hope the drought ends soon for you. Those leaves are spectacular.
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Lovely colours.
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Gardening is year round hard work, but each season has its pleasures, and you always find and share them with us! I join the rest of your friends by asking for a picture of the duck house – preferably while the cuties are enjoying it!
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Your little grandkids would find them quite amusing as they waddle through their day. 🙂
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Lovely photo and post Judy, it gave me a real snapshot of your autumn days. I loved the fall MG planting party….. Gardeners are generally such nice people I always think, maybe because there is a common purpose. I would take a warm doughnut anytime, let alone an apple cider cinnamon one!
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What a nice idea to recycle the tree house into a duck house. Duck eggs make great cakes. What are you going to do with that butternut squash, which in Australia we call a butternut pumpkin? I would make pumpkin soup with it – a couple of potatoes and carrots, an onion, double that amount of pumpkin, a sprinkle each of curry powder, salt and pepper, cover with chicken stock and cook until soft. Then blend with a stick blender and voila! The best pumpkin soup you have ever tasted.
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Oh my, that sounds delicious. 🙂
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You should try it and let me know what you think.
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Nowhere in the world is Fall as beautiful as in New England!!!!
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It’s been dry here in the Welsh countryside but no where near as dry as you! Stunning picture, we are another couple of weeks away from you with the change in leaf colour. It has to be said-You can’t beat the autumn leaves in New England. ‘Plant potting party’ what a fantastic name and idea- next week is my garden group meeting ‘plant swap’ I’m so excited, just meeting with like minded people pleases me no end. All of those talks you are going to is getting my pulse racing for you!! Exciting times..
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Autumn in New England is the best. Glad you’re getting out to enjoy it amidst all your chores. Sounds like you have your hands full. When do we get to see the ducks? 🙂
Can’t wait to hear about the conference!
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Beautiful photo! Where do you find the energy to do all you’re doing?! 🙂
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I’m a weird bird in that if there is daylight I think I need to be busy. I don’t know if it comes from living on the farm as a kid where my grandparents worked from sunup to sundown or not. But, I feel better when I’m busy. It’s certainly not for everyone, and I understand that. But, it works for me. 🙂
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I like to stay busy, too; but I don’t think I have quite the stamina you do. That is admirable! My mother grew up on a farm, but I did not. She was the hardest working woman I knew, but you’re right up there along with her!
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Judy, I love the brilliant and deep colors in the trees and the wide variety, too. 🙂 The reservoir and sky are gorgeous blues!
I went to an apple farm with a friend and we ate our apple cider donuts in the parking lot! Linda has an impeccable home and spotless car! Although I swear I would have eaten the crumbs if they fell in her car. Lol 🙂
For me, I just finished Monday and the week looms ominously long into the future, Judy.
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I laughed about the crumbs because I was dropping the cinnamon sugar topping all over myself and the car seat and felt the same way. Here’s to Tuesday being busy and going fast for you. 🙂
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So happy I had you laughing, Judy! 😀 It was truly a beautiful day when we went to the apple orchard! Guess what annoying thing about Apple computers goes on with its spell check? It wants to capitalize the word! 🙂
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That is lovely color.
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A fresh butternut squash and Jack-in-the-pulpit seeds and smiling all the way home! I love the image! And one cider doughnut short of a full box, eh? All wrapped in those glorious colors. Indiana is getting there, and every day I try to memorize the trees. I do hope the heating pad worked!
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I have to admit some years the color is fabulous, and that about cover it this year. I am going to plant my seeds today and look for a squash recipe. Ever made squash soup? I’m thinking real hard about it. Those fresh warm cider donuts are a true delicacy. The farm closes in a couple of weeks so we’ll make a trip, buy a couple of dozen, freeze them, and pull a couple out all through the winter. Somehow on a cold, snowy, Sunday that little donut transports me back to summer. 🙂
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As a matter of fact, I have made squash soup! With butternut squash, no less. Somehow I snagged a recipe online which I think originated at Holy Wisdom Monastery in Wisconsin. Basically you roast the squash with onions and garlic and a little stock, then puree it and warm it with more stock and whatever flavorings you like (Joanne’s idea below of the apple sounds like something I will try soon). Not sure how I got this recipe, but the chef credited is Barbara Wright. I think roasting the vegetables first is genius. (Remember I am NOT a cook.) Meanwhile, aren’t freezers wonderful?
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It’s a beautiful photo! The reds mixed with the yellows are my favourite. It’s like a flash of fireworks and then gone almost as quickly.
You’ve been a busy little squirrel winterizing your outdoors. Last week I spent a few hours cleaning up one section of the backyard and putting all the outdoor “art” away. My shoulder has been angry with me ever since. Now I just look out the window at the remaining stuff still undone and sigh.
btw – squash soup is one of my go-to soups. I make mine with apple. Yum 🙂
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I’ve left some stuff out over the winter and some pieces make it while others not so much. Wish I lived closer, you could direct and I could help so your shoulder doesn’t bark at you. 🙂 The soup with apple sounds amazing. I’ll be checking out recipes. Thanks.
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I was whining earlier today to Husband that we needed to hire a yard service company. I used to think of them as an indulgence, now I’m starting to appreciate their real value!
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What a lovely post. You hit on all the fall pleasures–leaves, apples (LOVE macouns), garden buttoning up, and ducks(?). I’m looking forward to hearing about your fall conference–it sounds wonderful.
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Lovely capture of a beautiful place! Ahhhhhh New England in the Fall!
And you sound as busy as I … isn’t Life wonderful!?! I love being this busy!
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My, my, my… you’ve been busy. I can relate to your drive to keep busy but your schedule would make me dizzy. The photo is stunning!
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Oh, I’m not that busy because let’s face it I find plenty of time to sit and read blogs. I guess I just always like to have a project on hand. I went to Joanns this morning so now I have four projects on hand. 🙂
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There is nothing better than a warm donut and I would have definitely eaten one on the way home! I think we need a picture of the duck house and the ducks!
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Perfect Judy!
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I’ve been catching up on your posts and after hearing about the drought being so bad this year, I was pleasantly surprised to see the beautiful color. I thought the leaves would just turn crispy and brown like in some past years.
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We have had gorgeous color all throughout the state in spite of the drought. Really amazing. I just saw a map on the news, and Coos is the only country not still classified as suffering from a drought. A lot of folks up here with wells are in a difficult situation as we approach winter weather and ground freeze.
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I keep hearing how bad it is. Hopefully there will be some additional rain before the ground freezes.
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I love this season and your photo is absolutely stunning! Beauriful!
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