To comfort us after yet another day of copious, unending rain, wind and cold temperatures we turned to an old favourite, French onion soup for dinner. A perfect combination of crusty French bread toasted in cubes slathered with butter, garlic and Parmesan, to top the soup base of garlic, onions, dry mustard      and pepper in chicken soup layered with the bread, then thick slices of old cheddar, it warmed us and titillated our taste buds to perfection. 

 

Today's weather arrived in contrast to yesterday's, a goodwill gesture from nature realizing we'd had more than enough rain these past weeks, even interspersed with ample sun. Ample sun is what we got today nicely warming things up a bit, though the wind was arrogant enough to plan on taking away what the sun generously offered. And since the weather had turned so anodyne to soothe our dampened spirits it occurred this was another opportunity to get on with the fall garden work.

 

After deep-cleaning the bathrooms and gathering up linen for tomorrow's wash day, I slipped out to the backyard with Jackie and Jillie to finally begin pulling up the annuals. A necessity, to make room for the spring-blooming bulbs begging to be planted. Up they came, petunias, begonias, daisies, looking somewhat the worse for wear. I transplanted a few little hibiscus shrubs to better advantage in the process. Then decided to break off for our ravine hike with Jackie and Jillie.

 

While I was out, Irving was in, downstairs in his workshop, beginning work on putting together his stained glass door insert. We flipped the coin on our activities to take advantage of the changed atmosphere and tripped off to the forest trails. Could it be possible that the forest trees were steeped deeper in colour over a missed day in the forest? 

 

 

The opportunity to get out with their companion dogs led others to a forest outing besides ourselves. The temperature had risen to 10C, the creek was running full and frothing from all the rain, and invariably big dogs familiar with the forest and its running water, manage to navigate their way to a good dunking into the icy depths of the rushing creek.

We took our time cruising through the forest. Now and again stopping for a conversation with people we're familiar with on the trails. A young man we've known for a while, who takes an assortment of dogs through the ravine as a local dog-walker, told us that he had been out yesterday despite the rain, and was surprised to come face-to-face with a coyote, at noon, standing on a familiar part of the trail system. It stood still for a moment, and then whipped away, descending from the height of the ravine to the hillsides below.

 

When we returned home, I decided to continue my garden work, and began planting tulip bulbs. The soil was a little wet to handle, but for the tulips I have an old garden gadget that cuts a deep hole into the soil, retaining the soil it scoops out which is then released by pushing against the edges of the funnel-like aluminum gadget. Into each hole I scatter a bit of bonemeal, then in goes the bulb, and over it the released soil. 

 

I was halfway done when Irving told me he had called our local pharmacy and they were just then receiving a shipment of the flu vaccine, the extra-strength type meant for the elderly, recommending that we come right over and we could be vaccinated. So I left everything and we went off, completed the obligatory questionnaire, waited for the pharmacist to prepare, and were vaccinated. Glad it's done and over with, no need to think about it once again, for the oncoming flu season.

Back home to prepare carrots for a sweet-and-sour sidedish for dinner alongside spaghetti and meatballs. Chicken meatballs this time, with plenty of seasoning to give it some needed oomph. Decided that stewed prunes would do well to close off the meal. All in a day's preoccupation with living the best lives we can.

 

Thinking of the next few days if the weather holds, doing the same to the front gardens. Dispatching the annuals, planting more bulbs. Because when we were at the feed and seed store there were so many delightful looking bulbs they're just irresistible. It is a misery, though,yanking the still blooming plants that have given us so much pleasure this growing season...