Thurs. Sept. 30, 2021: Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins

image courtesy of pexels-pixabay.com

Thursday, September 30, 2021

4^th Quarter Waning Moon in Cancer

Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus, Mercury Retrograde

Celtic Tree Month of Ivy begins

Rainy and raw

We haven’t had frost yet, but the nights are getting cool enough to bring in some of the plants: the African violet, the Christmas cacti, and some of the others. We are figuring out how to reconfigure things inside when we have to bring in all the plants, and some of the furniture that’s out on the back balcony. The front porch is still warm enough, with its southern exposure, to enjoy during the day, although we keep the door closed now at night.

The red geraniums are still blooming like crazy.

I’ve been putting up one decoration a day in the front windows; tomorrow I put up the rest of the Halloween/Samhain/Day of the Dead decorations all over the house.

I turned on the thermostat, and it says “heat on” but nothing comes out of the radiators, so I have to ask the maintenance guy what other switch needs to be flicked, and where it is. It’s too cold and raw not to have the heat on. Plus, we’re the ones who pay for it, so it’s not like we’re waiting for the landlord to turn it on.

The Celtic tree month of Ivy begins today, a good time for banishing, and getting rid of negativity in one’s life. I feel as though that’s what the entire move’s been about, but it’s good to spend focused time concentrating on it.

It smells good, even though we are in a city. It smells woodsy and full of the mums and the apples and all those other lovely autumn smells. I hope to bake an apple cake later today, which should scent the house even more (and maybe warm it up a bit).

Everything looks so pretty. I hope the weekend is sunny, so we can get out and enjoy the landscape. I love looking out of the front and back windows to see the mountains every day, and to watch the colors change.

What’s changing in your neck of the woods?

Advertisement

Thurs. Sept. 23, 2021: The Season of Mums

image courtesy of Suppenkasper via pixabay.com

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Third Quarter Waning Moon in Aries

Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Celtic Tree Month of Vine

Cloudy and Humid

Most of the time, it feels and smells like autumn around here. The leaves are starting to turn, which is so pretty. I’m looking forward to watching the transition.

We’ve had a few warm, humid days this week, so I haven’t packed away all the lightweight clothes yet!

The red geraniums on the back balcony are blooming like crazy; the Christmas cactus that was in bloom is fading.

I have dark red mums, cut, in a vase in the living room. They make me happy every time I look at them. Traditionally, they are associated with happiness, nobility, and permanence. I’ll take it!

Now that the Equinox is over, I can start decorating for Samhain, although the bulk of the decorating will happen next weekend.

The apples are wonderful this season, and we’re taking full advantage. I even used apples for the Autumn Equinox dinner last night, preparing the Cornish hens with apple and sage.

I missed having a full garden this year, due to the move, but I’m looking forward to what I can do in containers next year. I want to grow more herbs, which do well on the front porch, and see what we can do on the back balcony.

Funnily enough, I miss having hostas. When we first moved to the Cape, I was overwhelmed by all the hostas, and not a fan. Gradually, I grew to like them. Now, I miss them. Go figure!

Since rudbeckia do so well here, as do coneflowers, I want to have black-eyed Susans and Echinacea in next year’s repertoire, too. I look forward to planning next year’s container garden over this winter!

In the meantime, I’m going to enjoy autumn in the mountains.

Thurs. Sept. 16, 2021: It’s Starting to Turn Colors

image courtesy of RebekkaD via pixabay.com

Thursday, September 16, 2021

Second Quarter Moon Waxing in Capricorn

Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Celtic Tree Month of Vine

Cloudy and humid

The weather has been all over the place this past week. Some days have been cool and crisp; yesterday was hot and humid and summery again. Plenty of thunderstorms coming through, although I don’t live in constant fear of flooding anymore.

One of the Thanksgiving/Christmas cacti on the back balcony is blooming like crazy, as are the red geraniums. The maiden hair fern has berries, which I’m sure the birds will enjoy. The peace lily continues to be a drama queen.

The leaves are just starting to turn to glorious shades of yellow, gold, and red. It’s already beautiful; it will be stunning in a few weeks.

Whenever I can, I walk to my errands, so that I can enjoy the beauty.

I was worried about being able to access fresh produce all winter. We’ve gotten so spoiled here with the farm-to-table commitment. But some of the farms have heated greenhouses, and, as for other produce, we’ll lean more on what’s seasonal.

Autumn is my favorite season anyway, and I’m excited to experience it here in the mountains.

How is your autumn, where you are? Or your spring, if you’re in the Southern hemisphere?

Thurs. Sept. 9, 2021: The Difference in Air (and Earth)

image courtesy of Kevin Craft via pixabay.com

Thursday, September 9, 2021

First quarter waxing moon in Libra

Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Celtic Tree Month of Vine

Cloudy, rainy, humid

Yesterday, we drove to the Cape and back, doing a storage run. The contrasts are so amazing,

The air here in the mountains has a tartness to it. Even though it gets very humid (especially with all the rain), when it’s not humid, there’s a crisp dryness to the air.

I’m looking forward to watching the colors turn and reveling in all things autumn.

The air on Cape is saltier, of course, because the Cape juts out between the bay and the sea. The tang of it is different. It was sunny yesterday, and bright, but still, the air felt heavier. Also, because of all the increasing traffic, especially over the bridge, and the fact that so many trees are cut down daily, the pollution hangs more over the area, and there’s an oily layer from it that coats everything.

The air smells different in both places, and feels different when it hits your skin.

I’m surprised how different the food tastes, too. Part of it is that the water is much harder here. But also, the soil is different. So a tomato grown here in the Berkshires has a very different taste than one grown on Cape Cod. They both taste good, but the taste is very different.

I’m starting to understand what is meant in wine when they discuss “terroir.” It affects everything that’s grown.

And it’s one reason why recipes made from local ingredients in both places taste so differently on Cape Cod than they do here.

It’s fascinating.

The Canal looked beautiful as we went over the Bourne Bridge, and it was busy with boats.

I still love the Cape’s beauty, although I’m deeply saddened how those who are supposed to protect it, instead allow its destruction.

Not that everything is so perfect here, either, pollution-wise. But I love living tucked in amongst the mountains, and within the neighborhood trees that people aren’t constantly trying to cut down.

Thurs. Sept. 2, 2021: Apples!

image courtesy of lumix2004 via pixabay.com

Thursday, September 2, 2021

4^th Quarter Moon Waning in Cancer

Pluto, Saturn, Jupiter, Neptune, Chiron, Uranus Retrograde

Celtic Tree Month of Vine

Partly cloudy and cool

Hurricane Ida slapped us on her way through. We didn’t get it anywhere near as bad as other areas; the Cape had tornado warnings and NYC flooded. We had torrential rain for about 12 hours, from 2 PM yesterday until about 2 AM this morning. I kept getting up to check the streets to make sure they weren’t flooding, and kept an ear out in case people started moving their cars.

But we were fine, and it’s shaping up to be a pretty autumn day. Definitely cool.

The Christmas cactus on the back balcony is blooming like gangbusters, and the red geraniums are also blooming. The annual herbs have just about had it. I’ll need to put those pots to bed soon.

My downstairs neighbor shared some of her garden produce and it’s wonderful. I missed having a real garden this summer; let’s hope I can have one next summer.

Apples are starting to show up at the market. My favorite. I’m looking forward to all the things I can make all winter with apples.

Oh, the bug I posted about last week?  A friend saw the photo and told me it was a tiger bee fly. A pollinator. So it’s all good.

Today is a big baking day for me; two kinds of bread, two kinds of cookies, and some dip and snacky things. My friend arrives tomorrow for the holiday weekend. First time I’ve seen any of my friends in person (other than the neighbors who helped with the move) since before the pandemic.

Have a great holiday weekend. Let’s hope we can spend a lot of it outside!