Winter has come along with November 1 st here.
Taking cuttings off geraniums brought in this fall.
Have seedlings and seeds on the go: Western Wood lily, Glaucidium palmatum, scented pelargoniums, Colchicum autumnale, and peonies.

I saw a mosquito yesterday.

Inside I'm thinking.

Yes, Inside except to go sweep the walk.

Woke up to snow on the last day my Garden Helper was going to do so much to help winterize things. Darn!
Two fifty foot hoses still to drain and coil - had wanted to get the bone dry area under the eaves, watered.

Some Peonies in pots, still need to be sunk into the ground - - - groan!

A cold front has socked in and we have the start of winter. Darn! Have to drag out the straw to cover some of the pots that are waiting to be planted.

And now we'll have to put up with all the snow enthusiasts that just love this stuff.

I think this is the grumpiest time of year for me. Once I'm used to it, I'm okay, but today - - - -

My hoses are still out there too !
Winterizing the garden is always a chore !

Supposed to get near fifty Sunday when I will be working on the South garden and the ground is not frozen yet so I am not worried that the hoses down there are frozen but those are very heavy and it is too cold to string them out and get the water out, I can but it would be a real pain in the buttocks, so I will carry them down to the cellar and let any water that may come out go down that drain.

Unless a strong wind removed them, not likely, the lawn down there is full of leaves, especially where I piled some when I mowed half the lawn two weeks ago PLUS the remaining un-mowed lawn has to be mowed as it has not be mowed for almost a month.

As only two of the eight roses I planted down there are still alive, covering roses will be the easiest it has ever been except for the one very tall Hybrid Tea that needs a trench five feet long. and two fee wide.
Unlike the past five years only that one and two others will be buried as burying the new roses that did not go belly-up is not a good idea because then you must disturb the roots which are still establishing themselves so I will have to put a deeper layer of leaves on.
I am going to give an effort returning the rose garden to at least a fraction of what it once was but as that will mean next winter, assuming they live next years, major fall prep next year despite the fact most of my friends and relatives say I should just quit with the roses because they are so much work.
Being a stubborn German, that is all I need to make sure the rose garden lives on.

It's still raining here, and I have roses blooming - they'll keep on until a hard freeze stops them. I don't bother winterizing my roses any more - it's too much work. I figure, if they die, they were not meant to grow here; if they live, I planted the right ones! All I do for the roses is remove dead wood in spring, then let them alone, no fertilizer, no sprays. I have one hybrid perpetual, two miniatures, two rugosa hybrids, one David Austin English hybrid, and one Rosa glauca, all of which have survived 10 winters, hungry deer, and summertime caterpillar attacks. I'm actually amazed they have lived this long. The rugosa roses seem to be the best for my Zone and rarely have any winter damage, the miniatures like to have snow cover and tend to lose exposed branches, the rest always have some die-back in winter, but never to the ground. I say, "Let it snow on my roses!"

Not supposed to exist
Should add delete option.
I am still typing with bandages, Eczema is trying really try hard to not leave.

As ANNOYING as they can be, I now miss all the Lady Bugs that were flying in and crawling about.
Indian summer turned into a preview of wet nasty March 2018, only instead of having to decide when to uncovers the roses I have to get some more leaves, now sopping wet, to cover the ones not done.
Weather man keeps saying 50 degree weather coming, lying %%*&^*%*.

I managed to get the Christmas lights stung along the garage and house on that last warm and windy day.
I shovel the snow for several seniors on my street. So my back is a bit sore but I usually get back in shape soon enough. Sooner if this cold and snow continues. Today the snow has stopped so I'm thinking of checking the bike paths and going to the river to feed birds.

I'm still watching rain fall, but I have sent a note to my snow-removal contractor asking what she will be charging to clear the driveway this winter. I hope that doesn't make me sound lazy. I still shovel the decks, and the walkways that are too narrow for the snowplow, and dig a path across the lawn to the bird feeders, and from the feeders to the birdseed storage shed, and from the shed to the barn and the compost bin, and from the bin to the house. I'm actually looking forward to those day-after-the-storm clear blue skies, the dry cold air, the sun-sparkle on the snow, and the pleasant feeling of exhaustion after digging-out. As long as there isn't a wind-chill of -40.

Shovelling snow is my exercise in the winter, but the neighbours all help too.
One neighbour has a snow blower, which he straps on his back , and often he does the whole Crescent main sidewalks.
We each do our own walkways.

Hello Caroline,
There is a retired fella down the street with a blower and last year he help me out several times. He hasn't been out yet this month. So I just take breaks after every two houses. I do six homes and mine.

What a boon you are to your neighbourhood !
I have good neighbours here too.
But several of them are not in great health so I deter them from doing mine. I just break it up, as I am on a corner.

The houses on the corners have the most side walk to shovel.
Despite the cold the sparrows were taking baths yesterday.

Still repotting geraniums and taking cuttings.
Most of seeds have been ordered for next year.
Might look for seeds for a few more purple vegetables.
Might have to revert to house cleaning as my activity !

Oh, no, Caroline - not house cleaning! That's my last resort for activity too.

It looks as if I'll be watching snow fall on Thursday. I am thoroughly annoyed, because I am scheduled to fly out of Toronto to London Heathrow that night. First the weather forecast said it would only be a little snow, late at night, and I hoped my plane would be off the ground before it started. Now they are saying it will be lots of snow and a freeze to -10C, starting in the afternoon or evening. This will affect not only my 10 p.m. flight, but my 6 p.m. drive to the airport. The worst thing is, I arranged to meet a friend at Heathrow airport and then fly to Rome with her. If I don't make the flight connection, she's on her own, and I was supposed to be guiding her since she's never been to Rome before. I would hate to let her down.

I do hope that the snow holds off. Flights will be delayed as they de ice the planes !
Take pictures of any flowers that you see in Rome !

Have a really good holiday !

Caroline! I'll try to find some Italian flowers, or failing that, some fruits & vegetables.