[Magdalen] Good things that happened this weekend

[Charles Wohlers]

No rainbows here today, but I did see a moose for the first time in 5 years 
up here. We'd been in Montpelier to renew Lee's driver's license, and we 
took the back roads (County Rd.) home. Was driving along the dirt road in 
Calais (pronounced "Cal-us") when we happened upon a car pulled over to the 
side. He stuck his arm out the window, pointing to the right, and there, 
next to a pond in the midst of a huge lawn, was the moose. Only got pix with 
the cell phone, which likely won't turn out very well.

Garden did decently this year. Had our first frost Sept. 17 - al little 
ahead of schedule. But since then it's hardly gotten below 40, and no frosts 
expected for at least a week more. So the tomatoes, squash & beans are done 
for the year. Potatoes have been dug (can't remember where I put them, 
however), and carrots, rutabaga, onions, leeks & parsnips await. Broccoli & 
brussels sprouts still coming along. Got 4 pints of pickles & 5 of relish 
from one cucumber plant. Strangely, hardly any wild blackberries this year - 
maybe making up for the bumper crop last year. So no blackberry jam.

That's the garden report from Northern Vermont.

Chad Wohlers
Woodbury, VT USA
chadwohl at satucket.com



-----Original Message----- 
From: Susan Hagen
Sent: Monday, October 06, 2014 7:28 PM
To: magdalen
Subject: [Magdalen] Good things that happened this weekend

The season changed abruptly from summer to fall.  (Yes, I did catch a cold)

I finished moving ground covers from the formerly shady front yard
under the big trees that are no more to shadier beds around the house.
The front bed now has clumping and running foamflower and the end bed
under the blueberries has goldenseal, Solomon's Seal and False
Solomon's Seal, Virginia Snakeroot and wild ginger.  This summer I
raised two generations of pipevine swallowtail butterflies on the
snakeroot.  I watched lady butterflies lay their eggs, saw huge
(dreadful to this worm phobic) larva methodically defoliate the
snakeroot, then beautiful butterflies on the wing.

Gathered the last of the pawpaws.  I planted these small trees for
zebra swallowtails.  They do not seem to have been found (no adults
sighted, no leaf damage suggesting egg laying and larva).  The fruit
is weird - big green blobs in clusters.  Inside they are like custard
and have a very fragrant tropical smell - passionfruit maybe?  I'm not
crazy about them because they are very sweet.  I can eat them with a
bit of lime juice.  I have a couple of neighbors who love them so the
fruit does get wasted.  The squirrels love them too.  The red tailed
hawk loves the squirrels.

I got to visit with Grace.  We met at an 1830's log church which has
been moved and restored onto the grounds of a Methodist church in
Singers Glen, sang Harmonia Sacra (shape note) hymns, then had a good
dinner.

This evening I saw a beautiful double rainbow!

Susan

-- 
Before enlightenment pay bills, do laundry.  After enlightenment pay
bills, do laundry.