Sketches forthcoming...

The kids had neglected to take the garbage out to the curb this morning. So I threw on my fleece and gardening sneaks to do it myself, and finding myself outside - and being SUNNY no less (it's been days since me and the sun were out at the same time), I kind of stayed... And did a bunch of fall cleanup in the yard. The garlic chives and lavender thyme are all planted. The hoses are drained. I cut back the six foot scented sages - which was a wonderfully fragrant job - they both smelled of pineapple and tangerine. The lovage and fennel were cut back. And the old roses by the back fence were cut out. Jack ran giddily about the yard with a squeaky ball. I had to keep him off the old rose prunings (he kept thinking: "Sticks! For me?!!" And since they were rather thorny, I thought he'd be happier *not* chewing them). I wove some of the escaping 10 foot raspberry canes back into their 'hedge' (and got a small handfull of late November raspberries to eat. Yum! And eating them with pineapple sage blossoms - which were still going strong, is a delightful combination) and rescued my small fig tree from the climbing morning glory on the fence. That morning glory is amazingly strong and tenacious. It had pulled the fig towards it at an almost 45 degree angle (can you tell I haven't been out there for awhile?). It had also tried to envelope both roses and tomato plants this summer - fairly successfully if there was not intervention. Anyway - that's what I've been doing instead of working on these covers...

Keep at me to post progress! I need prodding apparently.