SNOWTOBER TREE CARNAGE

historically early snowstorm hit yesterday, while the leaves are still on the trees...

we got about 5 inches of snow... after i took this photo, i shook the old dogwood and it was saved.

the bald cypress remains a potential casualty... this was yesterday afternoon, after i shook the snow from the tree...

luna managed to cut her foot two days ago, it got infected, and we had to take her to the emergency vet in the storm... i think we risked our lives for that cute purple dressing... but they took a piece of wood out of her foot...

this morning, before i released the bald cypress from its snowy bonds...

more broken tree mess, but pretty colors...

the bald cypress is recovering a bit by mid afternoon, after hubs went out and pushed it up with a tree-pole.

by late afternoon, the bald cypress is still rising up. will it recover? i called out tree guy, hoping he would hoist it up, but he's too busy cleaning up emergencies...

the cypress fell on magnolia 'ruby.' i hope she will recover. one storm has maimed my two favorite trees.

ruby was still flowering...

some halloween! however, we are lucky, as we only lost our phone lines and many are without power...

SNOWTOBER

it's just starting to snow here. we are having a record snowfall, since it almost never snows here now...

flattened potager...

encrusted buddleia...

dangling cleome 'violet queen'

bowed, snowy sunflower...

splattered amsonia...

festooned marigold...

portrait of evil... (how'd he get in here?)

wilted willow...

rescued green tomatoes...  ;-)

much more snow is coming...

9/11 MEMORIAL VISIT

yesterday a friend and i visited the 9/11 memorial in downtown manhattan, new york city

on the way there we passed reflections of the growing one world trade center

and previewed how the skyline is shaping up: hopeful and modern, but austere

after presenting our tickets (ticket info below) and passing through an amazing labyrinth of security measures, we arrived at the memorial. you see the landscaping first, and it is underwhelming. i suppose the purpose of the landscaping is to provide shelter from the sun, a flat walking surface, places to sit and no detraction from the dramatic pools or surrounding architecture. the design accomplishes all that and.... yawn. 

however, the memorial is as solemn, poignant and heartbreaking as it should be...

these photos are from the south pool...

this is the north side of the museum (not yet opened.) the multiple mirrored surfaces can be disorienting.

the north pool and foot of 1 wtc...

the unopened museum...

a sad tribute...

daylight was fading. this shot looks south across both pools.

the middle pit of the pools is so deep that you cannot see the bottom, evoking feelings of unfathomable loss.  

the fountains up close. they are not as noisy as you might expect, but you can get wet when the wind blows.

as it drew into evening, the lights came on and reflected in the pool corners.

as we left, construction lights glowed from the nascent buildings...

FREE TICKETS: you must reserve tickets to the 9/11 memorial which you can do here.  it was sad to see so many people turned away at the gates of the memorial.

GAZING THROUGH GLAZING

luna is checking the garden for deer...

ceramic coffee cup from my sister, with marigolds to repel the stink bugs...

you lookin' at me?

joe joe with new anti-slip socks... now he can stand on the bare floors again...

tropical shrub i bought 2 years ago is blooming, but i can't find the tag... bro, can you help?

leaf detail...

the tag might be under all the succulents...

what could luna be looking at?

yes, dear readers, it's the face of EVIL!

the potager today...

BLACK SWALLOWTAIL CATERPILLAR

it's that odd time of year when the garden is in disarray.

i haven't seen this caterpillar in years; today I saw 2.

I owe this to the juxtaposition of butterfly bush and fennel.

passiflora 'pura vida' is blooming now in the house...

echinacea 'coconut lime' petal-less flower...

80 IN OCTOBER

echinacea 'tiki torch' delicately sizzles on this hot october day

female sparrow portrait

hydrangea 'blue wave' glows in the late-day sun

the culprit! i caught her in the act of making holes in my house!

you can see the holes along the eaves... the painter said i would have to cut back the crepe myrtle so he can get better access... i removed about 4 feet of branches, leaning out the windows with a tree pole to get it all.  the result: 

my neighbor who removed the tree is getting a new roof.  wow, do these guys work hard.

guess who came to dinner?  the garden is decimated.

here's the square garden, with the mums just starting to bloom, and the camellia wrapped in chicken wire to deter the deer.  i have enough deer poo to shovel it into the compost heap.

in the square garden...

the little impatiens i bought has turned a pretty color...

the potager. what a mess, but still producing tomatoes!  best producer this year: cherokee purple.