Putting Away Summer

 

I woke around 730am feeling no worse for the wear. I slipped out of bed, brushed my teeth, then headed downstairs where I started some coffee. It looked awesome outside. I logged on my PC and learned that it was already 52 degrees. Nice! The day’s forecasted high was expected to reach 70 degrees.

I enjoyed coffee and played around online until 9am. Dressed and left for a run shortly thereafter. It was so nice that I didn’t bother with a jacket. I ran three miles in lovely, spring-like weather. Mindy was finally up and downstairs by the time I made it back to the house. I took the pug on a short walk out back and then out front. It wasn’t long before I turned off the furnace and threw up several windows letting the lovely weather inside.

Eventually headed out on the deck leaving the back door open to the warm air. Eiknarf headed out and next door to play with her friends while I transplanted some herbs into pots that we can keep indoors over the winter. Seemed a shame to let them wither in the winter cold. That small task got me started with the much larger yard winterization task. The first order of business was to dig up the canna bulbs. I dug up one or two then hollered for Mindy to come see. Holy moly! Last year a dozen or so turned into about 40 bulbs, but this year the 20 or so we planted turned into well more than 100, and they were enormous. One small bulb turned into a cluster 1’ in diameter. I dug them up, first by the wood pile and then by the AC unit. I wasn’t sure how I was going to manage them for the winter. For the time being, I left them drying out in the sun to make removing the soil easier.

I spent about an hour or so raking all the debris and leaves that gathered in the last week onto a tarp. I then emptied all the pots and hanging baskets onto the tarp. One of our new giant red pots cracked and shattered. :(. In some of the pots, the roots were so prolific that it made harvesting the expensive potting soil a joke. I didn’t realize before, but the sweet potato vines make a huge sweet potato-like bulb too. One in particular was more than a foot long and 3” in diameter. Wow! Took a while to empty all the pots. I salvaged much of the potting soil having spent about $100 on it alone last spring. Took some time to separate the roots and bulbs. I drug a tarp full of withered summer blooms to the compost pile.

I gathered all the hose accessories (splitters, nozzles) and stowed them in the garage. I plan to leave the two main hose caddies out over the winter. Next, I loaded all the canna bulbs onto the tarp then left them sit in the sun a while longer. I took a couple pictures to remember the mother load. I packed the deck furniture pads in giant trash bags, sealed them closed, then stowed them in the shed along with the fountain. I used the rogue wagon that just showed up by our tree house to cart all the larger, heavy flower pots to the shed for winter storage. I was running out of steam quick. I asked Mindy for help bagging up the canna bulbs.

We’ve had more than a few people ask for some. We bagged ten per grocery bag, and filled as many as twelve then temporarily stowed them in the garage. It was already nearing 230-3pm. In what felt like somewhat of break, I used my blower to clear the debris that remained on the deck then blew the leaf clutter from the rear beds to the center of the yard. I then mowed them over with my tractor. That mulched them to nothing. By the time I was through it was almost 330pm. I felt whipped, but was happy to have such a big chore behind me. Now the deck looks barren.

Inside, Mindy was already in the shower getting ready for a wedding reception the two of us were invited to. It started at 5pm. I took a brief rest and checked email, both personal and work. I quickly took care of one work related issue. I was feeling a little stiff so I took some Advil then headed up for a shower around 4pm. Meanwhile, Mindy was all but ready. We were both showered and ready near 430pm. We walked the pug before we left the house. Darwin called Mindy just before we headed out the door. We both talked with him. We talked for a while. He said he was going through a difficult stretch.

The wedding reception was in honor of Pat & Lisa’s daughter Jamie and her new husband, Paul who actually tied the knot back around Labor Day in Vegas. The reception was held at a VFW post in Hilliard off Walcutt – not too far from our home – 2/3 miles tops. Arrived around 530pm. A large contingent was already present. Mindy found some folks we knew fairly well and asked if we could join them at their table.

Not too long after our arrival we hooked up with Pat & Lisa, Jamie’s proud parents. Pat sent us to the open bar for drinks. I spotted a bottle of Jack Daniels from afar. That’s what I wanted. Mindy went for our drinks. She came back with rum and Coke for herself. We shared a table with Joe & Peggy, friends we’ve met through Pat & Lisa. Pat & Lisa’s youngest daughter, Alana. Also there was Lori, Lisa’s former sister-in-law, Lori’s mother, and Lori’s three kids.

We enjoyed a few healthy snacks before dinner was served. Mindy & I had talked about hanging around for a couple of hours but then bolting for CBC. That never happened. We stayed well into the evening, and actually past the stated end time of 10pm. I ate vegetables and cheese. Mindy had some chicken and mashed potatoes. Good thing, too. She was putting the rum and Cokes away like candy!
At some point Lisa stopped over and asked if I was taking any pictures, and if so, would I send them to her. Said I would, but also asked if she had her camera. She did. I volunteered to take pictures with it all night. I took maybe 200 photos best guess, until the battery went. I think I got some pretty good shots.

The reception proved to be a big success. Everybody, young and old seemed to be having fun. And just like another recent wedding reception, they had a photo booth there taking/providing a strip of photos much like they used to have at all the ‘dime stores’, only this one took color pictures.

Mindy and I left for home around 1030-11pm. She was feeling no pain whatsoever. And by the time we got home she couldn’t even manage her way into the house. I had to help her. More accurately stated, I had to do her walking for her. :) She sat on the stoop convinced she was going to barf. I carried everything inside then went back out for her. She wasn’t inside long before she chucked her dinner, drinks, and everything else. I helped her up to bed. It was much like dealing with a baby. Had to get her undressed, into PJs, then into bed. She did have the wherewithal to ask for her blood pressure medicine. Frankly, I was surprised.

Once she was safely in bed I headed downstairs to watch some football and SNL I didn’t make it much past 1145pm. I woke on the sofa around 1am and headed for bed.