Now It Feels Like Fall

Japanese Red Maples--just green and mostly brown.

I called Anthony a couple of days ago about getting the yard cleaned up and weeding my very neglected flower beds. He and I had already done the 4 in the front yard this summer. 
I told him that I hate my yard this fall.  It is so ugly. Instead of my Japanese Red Maples turning beautiful colors, the leaves are turning brown on the tips and curling up.

  The side yard has been covered with pine straw all summer, no matter how often it gets raked. The other day I counted 11 pine trees in my yard. 


UGLY, UGLY, UGLY.  My water bill has been $200 every month this summer and my flowers and grass are UGLY. 

Only the weeds look happy.

My husband used to go nuts every time  I made a new bed.  He would say, "You should not be making all those flower beds.  How are you ever going to keep up with them?"  Well, with the 110 degree temperatures the answer is I WILL NOT. They will go to weeds. But not forever; I have learned to call for help and write a check.  Gone are the days of doing it all myself.

These are the 2 beds. Mostly roses and daffodils and lilies bulbs.

Well, Anthony and his 60 year old helper showed up today!!  I went out and work with them.  Mostly to be sure the few pitiful flowers don't get pulled up with the weeds that have gone crazy. 

We started about 10 o'clock.  They had already mowed 2 yards on my street.

Look at all the bags of weeds and old pine straw.

They had already mowed 2 yards on my street. It is the first day I believe the calendar is telling the truth about it being fall. For a few hours it felt great.  I think I was working at least as hard as they were. 

At about  2:30 I went into the house to get something.  But this slow down made me realize how tired I was.

Then I came out, wrote Anthony a check (even though he hadn't finished) and told the guys I would only be working the rest of the time as a consultant. Actually I wasn't even available for that because I passed out on the sofa before they left.  

This was taken the next day.  They are very imaginative.

I woke up about 5 o'clock and Don was sitting in his chair in the morning room reading. We call it that because we like to sit in there and eat breakfast and drink coffee.   I coaxed him into going outside with me and letting the goat kids play in the yard.  Before we knew it our yard filled up with human kids, Connor, his friend Vivian, and Kennedy.  

 

Then Bridget and Trinity said they were going to Out Back for dinner.  Jacquie and G.B. had given Trinity a gift certificate to there for his birthday.  I know for a second, Don thought I had set him up for baby sitting with me.  He does not like it when he thinks I am pulling a fast one on him--who me?  

Connor

I wish I had taken my camera outside.  But if I had, I would have never convinced Don that I did not know the human kids were coming over.  The 6 kids, human and goat, ran all over the place and had a great time.  Vivian's dad called her home for dinner and soon Connor said, "Take me in the house and feed me."

I think Connor really enjoyed being the oldest child tonight.  Chase was spending the night with a friend.  Connor helped me cook salmon, and change Kennedy's diapers.  Then around 8:30 Connor said, "Make me a pallet upstairs with Grampa.  I need to go to sleep."  He is always very direct about what he wants and needs.  Bridget says he sometimes sounds like a grumpy old man.  But I love that he just says what he needs and doesn't get all whiny.  He communicates in such a way that I just do exactly what he says. I know I should teach him to say "please"; but for some reason he doesn't sound rude.  Life is easy the way he does it.

If a few more days turn out like today, maybe this fall will be beautiful after all.