Random Thoughts about life in general, living in the big city of Toronto
Wordless Wednesday
Ready, set, POUNCE!
I don’t know what the kitten lying on the bed did, but the cute black kitten seems to think it needs punishment. Look at those claws as the kitten flies through the air! I’ll bet that hurt when it landed on the other kitten!
Actually, it kind of looks like the kitten on the bed is about to jump on something itself. Maybe it moved before the other cat had a chance to land?
BTW these are not my kittens, although I kind of wish they were. They’re so cute!
It’s beginning to get colder here in Toronto and soon .. the snow that falls will stay on the ground for days or a week at a time, or perhaps like last year it might stay for months!
As I was just saying on my gardening blog, my plants have finally realized that winter is just about here and have reluctantly gone into dormancy.
There are still a few roses clinging stubbornly to their stems, but they are dead … unlike the rose below which was very much alive and happily blooming in August.
Chicago Peace produced such lovely roses all summer. It’s a shame that I won’t see another rose from this plant until next May or June … but it’s worth the wait.
I think that as a Northern gardener I appreciate my garden all the more in the spring, summer and early fall because I know there will be several months during the winter when all I’ll see will be the white of snow, gray skies … no green leaves or grasses, no colorful flowers, no scent of rose perfume, lavender, beebalm or jasmine … no garden to sit in with my laptop or a good book.
I’m resigned to winter’s arrival, but secretly I’m already longing for spring.
This weeks Photo Hunt theme is Reflection
I took this photo near the beginning of November.
We had taken Midnight, our Lab, to a local park for a romp in the woods and while there she found a small pond and being a water dog couldn’t resist jumping in.
I like how you can see her reflection in the water in front of her. You can also see blurred reflections of the trees surrounding the pond in the water too.
Here’s a shot of Midnight as she got closer to the edge of the pond. You can still see her reflection in the water in front of her, but what I like most about this photo is that it’s an action shot. Look at how the water parts around her as she runs towards land. She was moving fast!
We’ve had snow this week. Snow that stayed on the ground. It’s beginning to melt but I think we’re expecting more, so I doubt Midnight will have any more swims in ponds or the lake this year! She does love rolling around in the snow so I’m sure she won’t miss the water too much!
Check out my other Photo Hunter entry Reflections of Toronto too!
For many of us it’s beginning to get cool outside, for some it might even be snowing.
Actually it’s snowing here right now as I write this …. but even though it’s cool outdoors do you ever stop to take a look at what’s left of the flowers and trees in your area? That’s one of the things I enjoy about Autumn. Looking at how plants change as the weather cools. I love looking at flower seed heads, leaves changing color and so on. Don’t you?
Near the beginning of November Chris and I decided to go to Taylor Creek park here in Toronto with our dog. We figured it might be her last outing in the forest while the weather was still kind of nice. While there, I took some time to take some photos of our surroundings.
One of my favorite plants to play with as a child in Autumn was always Milkweed. The pods that were once green would die down and turn grey and then burst open to let loose thousand upon thousands of white feathery seeds.
I’m surprised that I didn’t pluck this Milkweed seed head from it’s stem once I’d taken it’s photo, only to blow on it and release it’s seeds into the wind.
Do you remember the pictures that I posted of the interesting natural water filters that I call “The Elephants” in early October?
Well here’s what they looked like a couple of weeks ago, surrounded by trees with leaves of red, orange and gold:
They do kind of look like elephants, don’t they?
I know this is a Green Thumb post, but how could I not include a picture of our dog. I mean, she’s the reason we went to the park in the first place and that’s why I managed to get these great pictures …
Here’s Midnight, the Yuppy Puppy (nicknamed because she’s spoiled), coming out of a pond that she discovered after a quick dip in the cool water. If you look closely you can see the water still dripping from her legs.
And here she is a short while later, still wet and perhaps finally getting a little tired after enjoying a nice romp through the woods.
Chris and I might go to the park this afternoon if it’s not snowing or raining. It’s a nice place and it’s definitely a good outing for an energetic puppy!
My garden is finally starting to die down. I just took a peek out the window at my backyard and it looks like there are only a few stubborn “dumb” roses, Monkshood and a few of my New York Asters still blooming away as if it were still summer or early Autumn.
Some of the roses that are still blooming look so perfect that I think I might even go outside and cut them and bring in a final small bouquet of roses to enjoy indoors. Unfortunately, if I do that, they’ll probably drop their petals once they are greeted with the heat indoors!
One of the flowers that I enjoy each fall is the Toadlily. It generally blooms from sometime in September until Mid-October or so, but this year my Toadlilies were blooming up to sometime last week. We had a little heat spell here last week (not hot, but warmer than usual weather) and that might have marked their demise as they are no longer blooming and the plants have started to die down for the winter.
Aren’t they just gorgeous little flowers? I love the spotted petals and I assume that’s where they got “toad” from in their name.
I sometimes wish that the toadlilies would bloom in the summer so I could enjoy them while spending time in the garden during nice weather, but they definitely brighten the garden in Autumn when most of my other flowers have stopped producing blooms.