Hope springs eternal...

It is the middle of October.  Usually we have put the garden to bed and Calvin is waxing up his skis by this time of year, but this year we are enjoying a long lingering fall.  We grow lavender at our house because lavender loves poor rocky soil and we have that in abundance.  Lavender needs to be trimmed each year to keep it healthy, so I try to use the trimmings in creative ways.  This is my third attempt at a lavender wreath.  They tend to shed and fall apart and last year birds built a nest in it, but hope springs eternal and I tried it again.  It will look good for a few days at least.

Peter has been our garden "watcher" this year and spotted this surprise.  We have a second crop of raspberries maturing.  There was one that was a brighter red, but Calvin ate it last night.

We still have a bumper crop of tomatoes.  We have had only one cold night so far this year and Peter made a cold frame to protect them, so now they continue to mature in abundance.

I thought that I had picked the last of the summer roses a few weeks ago, but new buds are still opening up.

Our annual geraniums beneath the greenhouse window are still in full bloom and attracting bees.  We try to do our part to prevent hive collapse.

And we have apples this year!  We probably only get an apple crop every three or four years, but this is a fruitful year.  Still, if we had to survive on what grows in our yard we would be hungry this winter.

And last but not least...

Today is Calvin's birthday.  I loved you then and I'll love you forever.  Happy birthday sweetheart.