What a difference it makes to the manner in which we view prospects for the day to turn out well, when nature cooperates. We hardly know how to thank her enough, granting us this absolutely weather-perfect week, after some pretty cool, wind-brisk and rainy weather. The more balmy and dry, sunny atmosphere has convinced me I need not accelerate my garden deconstruction agenda.

Which makes me feel more relaxed about the enterprise, less anxious about 'getting it all done'. Usually by Hallowe'en it's all done and accounted for. It takes time, plenty of it, and effort as well. Even though my plan is always to fulfill this last of the year's gardening chores incrementally, there's always an extra push on at the last minute.

I feel more assured now that it'll get done, all of it. The heavy lifting and the careful pruning, the promise to myself to remember next spring what I mean to do differently. Mind, this afternoon there were several hours spent 'putting away' clematis, morning glory vines, and cutting back the greenery of lilies and irises, bee balm, bellflowers, coneflower, geranium and peonies. Only in the backyard. And I decided to plant a potted miniature rose that we enjoyed all summer, in a protected spot in the back garden, hoping it will survive winter.

We're tending to spend a little longer on our hiking forays through the ravine on these lovely, sunny afternoons, and that's just what we did, yesterday. Jackie and Jillie had company for a portion of our hike, which may or may not have made it a little bit of a more interesting adventure for them. Not long into our hike we came across Nova, so we knew that Rod couldn't be far away.

But he was away, nowhere in sight, and Nova took the opportunity to scoot hurriedly down into the creek. The warmer weather has informed him that he's missing out on opportunities to cool down after running about everywhere in the forest since like most really young and active dogs Nova likely covers ten times more ground than Rod does in the same space of time.

In he dived, happily splashing about, and it's just as well the water happened to be clear yesterday. Jackie and Jillie watched their friend but showed no inclination to dive in after him. Poodles are water-loving dogs often, but not our pair, and we're just as glad about it, given what passes through the creek in the ravine, from animal waste to runoff from farmers' fields.

So when Nova emerged, before Ron joined us, he was happy to run exuberantly about, Jackie and Jillie trailing him. Often when large dogs dive into the creek and excitedly trot about emphatically on the clay-mud base they work up a sludge of muck and when they emerge they appear as though they're wearing boots on their busy legs. If they're low-slung the muck covers their nether regions as well and many people think that's the perfect time arriving home to spray the guck off with a garden hose, giving their dogs a double-dose of watery bliss. No need to resort to that with Nova.

The sun seems so fierce now that it appears to blaze through the forest canopy, and I can hardly resist attempting to capture that brilliant orb in the eye of my camera. From past experience within the next month or so those opportunities will increase as we delve further into fall toward winter. The camera would prefer I not do these things with it, but it's irresistible to me.

Dinner last night was a little different. I had some fresh, minced turkey and decided to do a stir-fry that would be a little different, with chopped onion, garlic, olive oil, grated carrot and chopped broccoli over oriental-type sticky rice. Cooked a sweet-and-sour dressing to go with the stir-fry. Just the kind of meal to persuade us to take our time, enjoying the taste and texture of the ingredients, totally relaxed. Because we'd just gone shopping earlier in the day we had fresh raspberries for dessert.