today I spent some time in the garage working on the dahlias…
I took out each of the pots which I brought in a few days ago to thaw, and removed as much soil as I could…
it took a long time, mainly because the plants were packed tight in the pots and were root bound…
now I’ve brought in one pot which all the tubers fit into…
after watching a few videos last week, the next job, in a week or so, will be to separate the tubers into ones that have eyes and package them up for the winter…
yesterday Hilda the Gardener came to winter-proof the garden…
she trimmed back ferns and hostas; emptied pots in front and back; brought all the dahlia pots onto the deck and cut them back; pulled weeds and trimmed the wild rose in the front flowerbed…
my job will be to remove the dahlia tubers, separate and pack them up for the winter… I’ve had to bring them in to thaw so that I can break up the soil, lol…
we are not raking up the leaves, but will have my grandson do one last mulch in the garden once the furniture is put away…
happy and sad that the garden is nearly prepared for winter…
after the boys left yesterday, I brought in the plants which they had removed from the pond…
took a while, but eventually I got them all into the tank in a way that made me happy, although the tank looks very full…
not sure if they will last the winter, but it is worth a try as they are expensive and the lilies produced a number of blooms which doesn’t always happen, lol…
once the two pails of fish were in the house, I waited for a number of hours so that they could acclimate to the water temperature in the house…
when I finally poured them into the tank most of them did fine… but one of the biggest ones got stuck between a plant and rock and didn’t seem to be able to get out from the spot… I was very worried and it took about half an hour before it moved out from the tight space…
today they seem happy, but maybe a little crowded;-)…
and I enjoyed having company to talk to throughout the day;-)…
this afternoon I spent three hours outside with the hot tub technicians while they emptied, moved, opened all eight panels, filled, found two small leaks, repaired them, emptied, replaced the panels, moved back, refilled and turned the tub on… it was cold and windy…
now waiting for the two days it will take to heat the water and hoping that this has fixed the problem…
since then I’ve been trying to warm up… finally, about half an hour ago – after five hours – I don’t need any additional blankets and have taken off my sweater…
the usual family dinner is not happening this weekend…
this year I decided to cook a special dinner just for me;-)… will use some technology to eat with my Ottawa kids…
today I made stuffing muffins for my grandsons… one of their favourites… the smell was delightful and a reminder of what makes a meal special… the eldest grandson will pick them up…
I also prepared potatoes and cauliflower for cooking… I tried something different as I prepared them because, if it doesn’t turn out, I’m the only one eating it, lol… I also cooked a small turnip and made fresh cranberry jelly…
usually as I am preparing for a special dinner I am thinking of those who will be enjoying the meal… today I thought about what a sunny day it was outside, even if it was chilly… and how blessed I am to have the food I want and a place to eat it safely…
spent a lovely afternoon in the garden before the rain…
pulled more leaves out of the pond… more are coming down into it every day…
I read and listened to the birds as they crunched through the leaves looking for bugs and seeds… considering how small they are, they made a lot of noise…
flocks of white-throated, song, and house sparrows, as well as pine siskins landed in the grass and around the pond where they would carefully jump from rock to rock to get a drink…