Cigar Time

 Sunday, September 29, 2025

Smoked a Hoyo de Monterrey Excalibur this afternoon. It was fantastic. 

Gorgeous afternoon. 

Although I heard tons of blue jays squawking this season I didn't see one until today. It landed on Josh and Breanna's porch. 

By the way, Josh and Breanna had us over for dinner last night. We ate outside on their porch. Everyone had brats except Bran. Josh grilled him us some venison which he loves. 

Ada was sweet. She picked some flowers for me and put them in a jar. She also made menus for the dinner which was very cute. 

Stayed till after dark. The sun's setting just before 7 pm these days. The kids made s'mores and the grownups talked around the fire. We got home around 8:30. It was a very nice evening. 

Dale came out to join me this afternoon. We both had some wine while I finished up my cigar. 

Lots of loud, obnoxious crows flying back and forth and squawking at each other. They went on for quite a while. It reminded me of all those mornings on Madeline Island and sitting on Dale's porch while 3 particularly bitchy crows did the exact same thing every day. 

 

We also heard a very chatty rodent. At first I thought it was a squirrel but Dale saw it in Andrea's tree next door and said it was a chipmunk. I looked and he was indeed correct. My gosh that thing was squeaky and active. It darted back and forth and carried on for quite a while. 

Today was the first day I noticed our pine tree is starting to drop its needles. The are a pain to rake up because they get stuck in the tines. 

Listened to Chet Baker as we sat outside. Went inside around 6 pm for snacks and then dinner of leftover lasagne. I really was a lovely afternoon. 

The State of Our Yard - Sunday Edition (With an Update on the Great Flower Thief)

 Sunday, September 21, 2025

Dale and I got home from church this morning and noticed that our celosia had been ripped from the pots which border our driveway. No other flowers were taken. The celosia planted closer to the house was untouched. At first I thought a squirrel or a rabbit may have done it but they would have made much more of a mess getting it out of the pots. All six stalks of it were completely gone with no mess left behind and there's no way small animals could have disappeared it so cleanly. 

Again, they only took from the pots which bordered the driveway so they didn't need to come into the yard. I moved two of the pots  closer to the garage so they're harder to see. Hopefully this was a one and done. 

UPDATE - On Tuesday, September 23, Dale and I made a trip to Bachman's to replace the flowers that were stolen. 

Ran into our next door neighbor, Andrea, who told us that on Sunday morning, while we would've been at church, her dog Marcia was barking at something near our driveway. 

Ran into our next door neighbor, Andrea, who told us that on Sunday morning, while we would've been at church, her dog Marcia was barking at something near our driveway. 

This was indeed confirmation that it was actually a person and not an animal but this made it even more baffling. I mean, a kid I understand might not know better but a full grown man? Rather sad. I think most people would agree that stealing flowers is rude, crude, and social unacceptable.  For realz.

The State of Our Yard - Thursday Edition

 Thursday, September 18, 2025

Dale went with me to Bachman's today and we bought some more flowers. 

It's nice to get a bit more color in the yard. 

The State of Our Yard Today

 Wednesday, September 17, 2025

I stopped by Bachmann's today to pick up some flowers for our garden. With all of the malarky going on in the world today I'm looking forward to creating something of beauty. I've meant to do more in the yard this summer in terms of planting flowers but this is the first I'm getting to it. 

Picked up some celosia (also known a plumed cockscomb) and some mums.

The celosia is the tall stuff that looks like flames and the mums have the more traditional looking flowers. Dale's always loved the garden in autumn. I do too. Even when I plant in the spring I like to go with fall colors in anticipation of late August thru October. Now there's even warmish weather into November. Although I'll never complain about pleasant weather, summer in November in Minnesota is quite sad for the overall state of the planet. 

Dale moved the lawn today.

It got quite shaggy while we were in Arizona for nearly a couple weeks and I felt I was back in the 70s when we got home on Monday. 

The daylilies are not flowering as prolifically as they were earlier in the summer but we still get a few blooms now and then. 

The ferns have held up pretty well this year and have lasted quite a while mostly due to the amount of rain we've gotten however they're starting to brown....

...although not nearly as much as the lily-of-the-valley. 

The sedums are flowering and will turn a brilliant auburn red as we progress through fall. 

Bought a few gourds at Bachmann's too but these will stay in the house for now as the squirrels will gnaw them mercilessly. 

Remembering June 2012

 

Remembering May 2012

 

Photo taken back in May of 2012. Our next door neighbor at the time trimmed back his bridal wreath spiria and I was pissed. I think it looked more beautiful in our yard than it did in his. The branches draped over into our yard and the white flowers that appear in the spring looked beautiful. It was like a waterfall of white. Anyway, they grew back eventually and looked great again. Now, in 2025, the bushes are not as full as they used to be. Maybe they're just old. 

Lily of the Valley in 2012.

Snow on the Mountain, 2012.

Another photo from 2012. The hosts around the back yard pine tree don't come in as nicely as this either. 

Bleeding Hearts, 2012