Missing Our Mountain

The color was better yesterday. Sorry.

I work only three days a week, but the past month has felt like a marathon of work. It all caught up with me today, cured only by a rejuvenating 1.5-hour nap on a rainy fall day.

I woke up in a cathedral of fall color. The best days were the past three, when it was sunny and glorious – and I was working at the nursery.  I didn’t get the camera out until today. So consider these a day off from peak!

How many times have you seen this photo in the past five years?

Our road; a good portion of it, anyway.

Why so busy, you ask? Well, mostly Mom! We’ve been going into town more frequently to help her with her new back yard. There has been planting and painting and more, but it’s almost done for the season; we’ll add a few more plants in the spring.

We also have a house-sitting gig that pulls us off the mountain once a week, and a few side gardening jobs. It’s just been way too much time away.

Of course, there are always a few plants to get in the ground here on Flat Top. This fall’s additions: Annabelle hydrangeas, a cotoneaster tree, an edgeworthia and some evergreen clematis vine.

In the veggie garden I’ve got spinach and lettuce in for the fall, and peas ripening as we speak. Fresh peas are divine. Oh, also a few carrots. And a whole lot of weeds. Bad girl. Busy girl.

So busy that all these Juliet tomatoes went to waste. Boo!

My succulents, thanks to Cheryl, before they came into the house for the winter.

My fall-blooming Shishi Gashira camellia.

Mason? He’s been busy with beer – and projects at Mom’s, poor guy.  He built her a 10-foot long trellis on which we are attempting to espalier a Carolina jasmine vine. Looks pretty damn good!

After all those trips in and out on our dirt road, we finally wrote our county commissioner to see if there’s anything that can be done to get some fresh gravel on it -- maybe even a grader. I’m sure they’re having a good laugh about that down at the county offices about now. We tried …