Could I BE more cute?

Here is our sweet little Minnie Mao, just waking up from her nap. She has three favorite spots to be: we have a pillow and her favorite blankie fixed up in the middle of the couch between us. That's where she is in this picture. Another favorite spot is on the bed in the spare room--on top of my fleece PJ's and her most favorite spot is on top of the treadle of an old sewing machine table--which just happens to be right over the floor vent to the furnace---toasty! I have a little corn pillow there for her to sleep on and her beany baby mouse and teddy bear to keep her company. Kitty Heaven!

Fall Colors at Home

I don't remember the fall colors ever having been so vibrant right here at home in the four years since we have lived here. These are the sugar maples that line the driveway next to the house.

I am very anxious to get some new trees planted for an even greater variety of fall colors in the future. These maples are the real motivator...quite beautiful this year, but they are also nearing the end. Some have already been lost to disease or storms. The majority of the shade trees on the property are maples that were presumably planted at the same time. Another reason that I am anxious to get more trees planted is that there is the risk of a sudden loss of most of the old trees in a very short time.

Our deciduous trees.

More on Asparagus

I had been asking around about companion plants for asparagus. It doesn't seem to me that the idea of companion planting gains alot of attention around here. Maybe I just haven't asked the right people. I finally googled it and came up with a good start. One that I had read about long ago was feverfew, I think. I didn't see it on any of the recent sites I had looked at, but more than one mentioned Chrysanthemum and any of the same family. Parsley is also said to work as a companion to Asparagus to repel Asparagus Beetles. So while I don't have feverfew or parsley on hand, I do have hardy chrysanthemums that were still in pots and needing a more permanent place in the garden. So there you have it! This afternoon I took the post hole digger and punched some tidy holes in the mulch in front of my asparagus bed. There are now twelve nice mums looking very happy there all in a row. I am expecting to see great things happening next spring.