Halloween is over, the decorations have come down, dried off, cleaned and stored for the year. Leaves were raked, mulched and added to the garden beds. Nearly three hundred tulip bulbs were planted in those same beds. Last but not least the Dahlias were dug up, dried in the sun & breeze, and stored in the basement under a blanket for safe keeping.
Now we sit in the luminal spaces where we wait for Remembrance Day observances before the big gear up for Christmas. I DO NOT wish to hear Mariah Carey until after twelve noon on the eleventh. Let the vets have their time unmolested by billionaire divas nipping at their heels. Lay a wreath, take a quiet moment to reflect, then you can go whole hog into holidays of all shapes, sizes, and traditions.
I have blood work to do during mid day of the eleventh so I will wait until the twelfth to erect our tree, unless the kids want to help in which case we will assemble it on the Saturday of the fourteenth. We never celebrated Christmas until after my oldest brother’s birthday in early December, but my daughter likes the tree up, and the holiday themed gimmicks, so she wants the house done up well before. I find November to be bleak, and dreary, and so the lights and decorations are a welcome diversion from the grey, brown drabness of outdoors.
Soon I can dig up all the holiday classic movies so we can watch them all as a family, or independently. Likely I will watch a good chunk of them by myself while I wrap gifts, or clean up, or decorate the house. The next nice day we have (which could be as early as tomorrow) I will cut the grass one more time, and then put the Christmas lights up on the house. I won’t plug them in until after Remembrance Day, but I will put them up when the sun is shining, and the temperatures are above zero. I absolutely hate decorating in windy, sub zero conditions. Which is something my inlaws insist on doing. Waiting until the worst possible weather, and then spending fourteen hours getting next to nothing done because they want to argue about every cord, switch, and item position. Infuriating! So I get mine out of the way when it’s more pleasant out because I know the shit-show is coming along hot on my heels!
Today’s task, instead of splitting wood, was to dig up the last of the Dahlias at the farm for my mother in law. They are up out of the ground air drying in the cool breeze. Ready to be tagged, pruned, boxed up, and stored away wherever they decide to put their own flower bulbs.
I do not know what will become of all the left over peppers, and tomatoes, or any other vegetable still left in the patch. I imagine they will simply till them under. But it could go in the back of the trailer to head north and feed some deer by the cottage. I’m sure the last pumpkins, and squash will head north for that exact purpose.
They must have reworked the fields once more because I found another seventy five or so sizeable rocks and such which I picked up and enlarged my current standing piles. I have something like nine to eleven piles of rocks to dispose of. Could almost make a small chimney if I was one of those bush craft YouTubers. Make a tiny lunch time hibachi or stone BBQ for eating hot food out by the fields. Ha. Disaster waiting to happen!
Welcome back to Monday after what felt like the longest weekend I’ve had in a very long time. Halloween, two ball games, Wonderland, visiting extended family to trick or treat out of town, yard work, dog walks, five hours in a bar with friends, a time change, and the last moments of my wife’s week off of work. We were trying to do all of the things! I’m exhausted. Phew!
Ciao Bella!
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