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Tag Archives: November

ahh, November

04 Friday Nov 2016

Posted by home, garden, life in Albemarle county, environment, farmer's market, garden, garden projects, growing your own food, home, home garden, home improvment, Lifestyle, privacy fence, renewal, season, shop local, sustainable lifestyle, Virginia

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Tags

environment, fall garden, garden, garden chores, home, November, Virginia

My central Virginia gardens endured one of the hottest, driest summers in recent history.P1050040

Since most of the fifteen-year-old landscape is well established, only the few new installations required weekly monitoring. The basement dehumidifier supplied a consistent 2-gallon supply of free water daily, greatly reducing the labor intensive task of hose dragging.

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Let me introduce you to Black Diamond crape myrtle, added to my front garden this summer. Notice the wonderful deep leaf hue and pleasant color of the flowers…this plant blooms multiple times per year and reaches 12′ high. I look forward to many years with this new variety…

I gave up raising home vegetables in 2014. Too many persistent insects prayed on tender leaves, leaving undesirable remnants. I fully support organic growing methods, yet for the effort involved, I would rather spend my time tending the heirloom daffodils, peonies, and lilies that reside here. These spring beauties bring endless joy to me and my market customers come April/May, and by the time June heat and humidity build, I am spending only minimal time outdoors.

2015 Peony city market May

abundant peony harvest 2015

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Early spring brings abundance

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dazzling organic peppers grown by young farmers. There is no need for me to fight veggie insects in my gardens…when I can support local efforts.

Gardening during cool temps from November-March soothes my soul. The tempo is slow. The air is crisp and clean. I add to my perennial collections, as fall is planting season. And above all, the dastardly biting insects are absent and I once again enjoy the outdoors.

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terrace wall refurbished with Muhly grass showing off on the other side…September is mighty showy here.

This month the arborist arrives with his bucket truck and helper. He annually sheers the 135 Leyland Cypress that border my property. This year I am tasking him with drastically reducing the elevation of the rows…tough love. Over the years, they slowly crept up to twenty feet, a height I no longer desire. Soon entire row at the back will be totally eliminated by the power company, as maintaining it is now unsustainable and my splendid privacy fence doing a fine job.

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photo of stained privacy fence. After a contractor’s estimate of 12 hours and $400 labor, I knew it was up to me to complete this job. Six hours over two days delivered one handsome fence to Swallowtail Cottage.

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I am in love with this chipper…perfect for the job at hand…

As of today the house and shed are washed/painted/caulked where needed. The roof chimney and vents are caulked and painted. The patio furniture has a fresh coat of paint (yes that DTM paint project two years ago was a miserable failure.) The windows are washed inside and out. 23′ of deer fencing is installed in the lower corner of the garden to close a gap. Three arborvitae and a Kousa dogwood will replace an ancient dogwood (Cornus florida) and an unimpressive japanese maple. Eventually this new installation will screen the deer wire.

THEN, on the fifteenth of November, I shall have knee surgery…just a repair for a torn meniscus.

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Baby 5 was my perfect companion during this gravel project. She held steadfast, despite my concerns that I would break her.

Yes, gardening does take a toll. Perhaps last November’s foundation planting did in my knee. That two tons of river rock did not seem that difficult, yet perhaps it was the eleven hours it took to prep/plant the seventeen shrubs. Ahh, November.

A time to complete chores, reflect, relax, and bask in the glow of a dreamy winter ahead.

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this is the view from my back door, over the herb garden during winter 2015

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Copyright ©2016 by Diane LaSauce All Rights Reserved

life, love, and loss

08 Saturday Nov 2014

Posted by home, garden, life in blessings, color, home, life, Lifestyle, loss, nature

≈ 20 Comments

Tags

Central Virginia, color of nature, death of a friend, how nature comforts, life, loss, love, nature, November

Life and death are one thread;
the same line viewed from different sides.

~ Lao Tzu

One of my closest friends departed life this week. I still fail to grasp this fact. Facing each health challenge bravely, determined to love life unconditionally, and supported by her closest friends, she met her end on her own terms — with dignity and love.  Sidelined by a freak viral bronchitis, I was not able to be at her bedside as she passed. This makes our afternoon country outing, two weeks before, even more memorable. Too soon gone!

as we find out paths in life, love intervenes and inevitable loss.

as we find our paths in life, love intervenes, and so does inevitable loss.

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as I drove rural lanes yesterday, taking the slow way home, nature seemed to reach out and embrace me with breathtaking color and brilliant sky

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as I rounded a curve, this maple popped to say, as my leaves depart, they wish to make your day joyful!

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hues this vibrant in November are unusual indeed

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then round a few more curves, I nearly drove of the road, as I gasped. In fact I turned around a few times and risked being rear-ended to get this shot

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back on a wider path of road, more maples popped from between the sycamores and tulip poplars, draped with dazzling color

a pair of old persimmon trees, full of fruit, will be perfect following the first hard frost, if one braves the traffic. I imagine birds will have the best feast.

a pair of old persimmon trees, full of fruit, will be perfect following the first hard frost, if one braves the traffic. I imagine birds will have the best feast.

taking liberties with this shot's edits to create a painterly vista

taking liberties with this shot’s edits I created a painterly vista

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nearly home, this time, an ox-blood hue catches my eye

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these trees were planted by nature, not man, making the display ever more poignant

the dogwood appeared to be on fire this day

back home, the resident dogwood appeared to be on fire this day

November hydrangea never fails to deliver color

Oakleaf hydrangeas never fail to deliver saturated color during November

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my landscape comforted me with much appreciated light, reflections, and memorable color. This was to be the last day before hard frost, finishing the magical displays and creating rake work in days ahead.

Life is unequalled.
Love is unparalleled.
Loss is the toll we pay to experience it all.

May your day be filled with life, your Thanksgiving filled with love, and may loss be away on holiday.

Copyright © 2014 by Diane LaSauce All Rights and Images Reserved

the thing about frost

06 Sunday Nov 2011

Posted by home, garden, life in season

≈ 2 Comments

Tags

November, time change

Too soon October flies.

November lurking in dreary skies.

~ Diane LaSauce

 

Sedum shows off during winter…blushing with the frost and oh so hardy

Wholly, fervently, utterly in love with October, I cough and sputter at the frost and chill of November. I wonder if the young cardinals are faring well with their first douse of twenty-degree temperatures. At dawn today, one robin sat nestled in the frozen rug junipers, mesmerized by the cold—no tasty worms this morning. Fortunately, the clear sky promises to deliver a mild afternoon.

As I stroll the house this Sunday to find all the clocks and complete the tedious task of moving timepieces back one hour, I wonder what madman had the power to enforce this bizarre twice-a-year tradition in the US. Do other countries abide by this absurd ritual? Instead of attempting to manipulate planetary shifts, why not rest in knowing that the universe provides best when left unhampered, and that we mere mortals should more often sit on the sidelines and observe.

Easy and I observe

Easy and I observe the quiet landscape

 

Copyright © by Diane LaSauce 2011 All Rights Reserved

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Essay Titles

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  • Chocolate Ginger Molasses wafers
  • Winter warmer when we pause
  • The twilight zone is real
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  • what blooms this week
  • porch envy
  • Summer in Virginia

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