Raven Ridge Gardens

Wednesday, November 25, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - The Last Viburnum Leaf

Hanging on to the bitter end.

I'm thinking the rain due at the end of this week will be its demise.

Monday, November 23, 2009

In The Greenhouse - Mystery Winter Squash

Will you look at what's happening in my greenhouse on this chilly, almost Thanksgiving day? Yes, those are tomatoes. Volunteer tomatoes. Subject for another post.

What I really want some help with is this squash. Also a volunteer, I've not seen one like it anywhere. It turns orange and green and then falls off the vine and rots. Sorry I don't have a photo of the mature fruit. I'm hoping this one will mature and allow me to get a shot.

It mostly grows upright like this, fruit and all, until the growing fruit weights it down and it ends up on the ground.

If any of my Blotanical friends know what kind of squash this is, I'd appreciate your comments.

Sunday, November 22, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - Searching for the Perfect Rose

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Roses are rarely perfect in real life, like my garden. But that doesn't keep me from trying for the perfect shot.

Over and over again.

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Autumn 2009 - Chrysanthemum Petals

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This flower was part of an arrangement in a vase on a table in an ice cream shop in Arcata.

(I loved writing that sentence)

Wednesday, November 11, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - Morning Sky with Rainbow and Chickens

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Since the world fell back to a more civilized time frame on November 2nd (I'm speaking of that magical time of 2 am on Sunday morning when daylight saving time goes back to where it belongs - not on our clocks, and not, for a time anyway, skewing the lives of those of us who get up with the dawn and get sleepy when night falls), I've been happily rising at 6 am, making my tea and heading outside to watch the light creep softly down the redwood trees to finally land on fencetops, garden and chicken yard.

The neighborhood roosters will have been crowing for at least an hour and my hens are either cackling away, proudly announcing the production of each and every egg, or they are talking softly amongst themselves, waiting for the door to open, then spilling out, tumbling over each other to be first. At what remains a mystery.

All this was going on several mornings ago, when I looked to the western sky and saw a rainbow out over the ocean. It was not raining, there were just a few high clouds, but the rising sun must have been hitting the ocean moisture just right, because there it was:

An auspicious beginning to an already beautiful day.

Thursday, October 29, 2009

Blazing Sunset

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Taken from the back deck two nights ago, this is my entry for this week's Skywatch Friday where there are so many beautiful, breathtaking skies to see, it boggles the mind. Do check it out.

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - Red Japanese Maple Leaves

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Red Japanese Maple with flash, early evening

It's been a short autumn compared to most here on the north coast. I've a feeling we may be in for a long winter.

Updates on my garden and my just-beginning-to-lay chickens coming soon.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Autumn in My Garden 2009 - Fog Laden Web

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Sometimes drippy, foggy mornings reveal delightful surprises that help me forget how woefully lacking is our usual warm and sunny late autumn weather.