I had more dental work done yesterday; my mouth makes local road construction sites look trivial by comparison.  But hey, my insurance continues to randomly pay for parts of it.  Back in temporary debt again.

Back at the funny farm I mean the Avdi’s, the kids had two days off from school, and I did usual chores.  The big news is, I was able to harvest a whole pile of new assorted greens from the successive planting already!  I lightly steamed them with a vinaigrette marinade.  Drinks were bloody marys with garden celery.  I stayed late so Avdi and Jess could go to a trivia night.

This “summer” is lasting a long time, and this severe drought must be setting records.  It’s still perfect gardening weather, like a whole bonus season.  Yesterday I planted some random tree saplings in more appropriate places.  I’m trying to plant and nurture more native trees, like redbud, dogwood, catalpa, sassafras, and anything else I can find.

Today I did a lot.  I managed to drag the two bins full of wood chips out of the way, and neatened up the hosta shade garden.  I hoed and mulched E’s secret garden flower beds with leaves and wood chips.  I woodchipped where the tropicals used to be.  I weeded and top-dressed Y’s rock garden with garden soil.  I woodchipped part of the former melon raised bed, except where I’ve planted passionflower seeds.  I watered in everything well.

I forgot to mention the gigantic hawk the other day that was perching on the swimming pool and diving in every so often!  It was beautiful.  Avdi and Jess and I were fascinated.  It was one more dramatic sign that turning even just one yard into a self-contained balanced native ecosystem creates an essential source of food, shelter, and habitat for a whole network of wildlife, in an otherwise barren manicured desert.  I’ve seen so many more beneficial native critters and pollinators just since I’ve been here gardening.  It makes it all worthwhile.  I have a good feeling about next year.

All I can say is, life at the Avdi’s is never dull!  Never mind international tabloids.  Always a new trauma episode to keep you on your toes.  That’s all, folks!  And now, have some photos of “typical” daily life, whither I get to escape.  Not everyone does.

Of course there were poor old hags in the middle ages (not to mention people of color), and let us not forget plagues and poverty.

But somehow renfaires always seem to be predominated by sexy young white women with boobs/men in tights, in fabulous costly custom-made costumes, flaunting their stuff.  Jesters, pirates, white knights, nobles, and royals parade around for some archaic white christian ideal.   Shiny crafts and “authentic” food and drink, unaffordable to the average serf slob with brats, tempt you at every turn.  And permeating the atmosphere is that certain magickal mystery something that mostly just exists in your mind or beer-fueled imagination.

I’m not cynical!  I used to live for the renfaires of old.  That is, when I was younger and had some pocket change, and still retained magical thinking.  It was a great escape.  Or it could be a very long, hot, exhausting day.  But the intrigue!  The music!  The Stuff!!  The pubs!  [The portopotties?!]  The fantasy of a fictional life like that.  A day far away from grueling reality.  I don’t begrudge it to those who still long for an alternate universe, and can make the effort it takes to get there.

Anyway, that’s where a loaded carful of fanciful young minds, herded by Avdi, journeyed today.  At this point in my life, I’m sincerely happy for them having this experience, and equally happy to sleep in, enjoy a semi-day off, not have to worry about my appearance, and talk to my new circle of plant friends!  Which is really all this was leading up to, in a meandering through medieval forests sort of way.

I’ve gone and done it!  A Sukkot mini-garden glow!  Shimmering white and blue lights in the sukkah and gardens.  Sukkot is like a grand finale of the harvest before darkness sets in, so might as well celebrate it with a full fae light show.  Call me eccentric, but I can’t get enough of this stuff.  I think even Avdi was impressed.

Not to be outdone by myself, I set up plant lights and plants on top of shelves in the office and dining room, so there’s some green ambience here and there, lighting up dark corners.  I think A, and even Y, liked the improvement.  Y and I and the rat family were hanging out while A was out at one of E’s drama productions at the HS.  Y was sewing on his new sewing machine in the office, probably creating a renfaire outfit for tomorrow, while the rats had taken over their giant theme park/Y’s room.

Shabbat dinner was very harvesty, with sweet corn and a salad featuring assorted sweet peppers from the garden.  There’s still no lack of flowers putting on their final bursts of color and nectar before dormancy sets in.  I even managed a whole new succession planting of assorted lettuces, greens, and root veggies to carry us through fall.  Not surprisingly, new volunteer tomatoes are coming up everywhere.

Last but not least, Avdi drove me and my tropical plants home to join the others.  It’s now very jungly at my apartment.  I may need a machete soon!  Pics later, when the sun comes up.

When I realized it’s starting to get down into the forties at night, I knew what I had to do today: get ready to move tropicals inside or into more protected locations.  So Avdi’s plants are now indoors, and mine are awaiting transport.

I also loaded the spare poles into the cleaned out shed, along with all the tinder and kindling.  I carried the cleared silphium stems to the open compost.   I made paths in the veg garden and behind the trampoline.  I hoed out some compost from the compost bin and applied it to the raised bed with the passionflower seeds.  I raked out E’s “secret garden”.  I watered everything out back and front.

I did my usual indoor chores and prepared dinner, then walked home.  Just as I was one block away from Watson, I witnessed an older man fall down flat on his face in a side street and just lie there.  I ran over and slowly helped him up and applied tissues to the profusely bleeding bridge of his nose.  Mostly his injuries were superficial, and he didn’t seem to be lightheaded.  Three other people came running to help just as I got there–two older ladies and a young guy who pulled over.  The man  didn’t need us to call anyone, and eventually walked to the next street where he was headed.  Still, it was disconcerting, and I could empathize.  That could have been me.

As I got to Watson, I saw flashing lights, and a fire truck was just pulling out of the apartments.  What was it now?!  The full moon is ebbing, so not that.  Anyway, I couldn’t detect anything off when I got inside.  Still, it seemed like an evening of bad omens.

Today was a perfect early fall day, cool, sunny, breezy, and dry.  I couldn’t wait to plant the rest of my native flowers, and string up the new light strings in the sukkah and garden.  I planted purple coneflower, passion flower vine, Bush’s poppy mallow, and prairie smoke.  I went ahead and cleared the rest of the side rock garden and other areas to make appropriate spaces.  If even any of all the above come up next year, it will be gorgeous, and attract even more beneficial pollinators and critters.  One more reason to not die!

Gourds and orna-corn don’t hang themselves (unless they’re suicidal), so that’s what I did today!  The sukkah is now officially harvestized.  Tomorrow some string lights will arrive and be the final touch.  Speaking of harvest, the peppers and eggplants have finally taken off–it only took all season.

Y at least had an excuse, having become a rat-daddy.  He spent the night and day with them, as they acclimate to their new surroundings.  I got to meet them today and hold one.  I’m so animal-deprived, I believe we shall get along.  They’re prettier than I expected; one’s a Siamese.

I started to plant my new native flowers–so far wild blue phlox, New England asters, and wild hyacinth.  I have four more kinds to go.  This way they can stratify all winter, the easy natural way.  It was a great day for it–cool, breezy, a hint of possible rain, and that indefinable autumnal change in the air.

I’ve also been prepping the tropicals and succulents to go inside, by spraying them with natural insecticides, and hosing them down.  Most will join my jungle; some are for Avdi’s.

I made dinner (Asian dumplings) and took mine in the sukkah.

It was actually too buggy and muggy to do much outside, so I did homey stuff, and prepared a sukkah-friendly dinner, should anyone choose to eat out there.  (Only Avdi and I opted for it, briefly.)  I mixed us these mojitos.

You’d think, with these epic cloud formations, and the heavy atmosphere, that it would rain, but we’re still waiting.

Then A and Y were off to meet Y’s new rat family and bring them home. The cage is like a luxury penthouse, taking up half the room.  I guess it will keep him off the streets.

Avdi and friends/family worked extremely hard on this year’s sukkah.  He went full lumberjack, as you’ll see.  Our friend G helped a lot.  Avdi says I worked hard, too.  It was an all-consuming project.  Even after dark, K and G were out there applying branches.  And behold, there was a sukkah in the morning, just awaiting touches.  Later that evening, we held the charcuterie meeting in the sukkah.  The photos pretty much tell the story.