WALKING IN THE GARDEN

Charlie and I took a walk around the garden today.. It's nice to look at all the beauty in the midst of dying plants.. there are carrots and peppers yet to pick, but the corn and tomatoes are done for this year. I don't ever remember having the garden finish before the first frost.
As we walked, Charlie tossed out slices of old bread to his 'girls'.. how they love that stuff !! He said one chicken returned after being attacked by the dog this week... it died this morning. Probably better off anyway-it was critically injured. I'm amazed it made it's way back to the coop. The other badly injured hen isn't doing well.. her comb is flopped over one eye, and she isn't moving well at all. She stands/lays by the water trough and drinks, but she actually looks ill. Her bite wound is blackened.. making it look even worse. Poor thing.
As we stood there I looked upward and saw this nest in a tree..... now long empty..

Walking through the garden is still a delight to my eyes.. I love these Royal Marigolds.. they are one of my favorite flowers. Marigolds are said to have antiseptic properties.. no wonder a nurse would love them so..


These yellow Marigolds are brilliantly yellow. The sun shining on them makes them even moreso. How glorious the colors in the garden !!


These are Calendulas.. beautiful yellow blooms.. the row of Zinnias next to it is done. All the flowers are brown now..looks like they might have had frost, but judging from everywhere else , I think more likely they have just run their course and are dying for this year. Beyond and connecting to this row of Calendula are Cosmos. We always grow them.. a simple pink, purple, or white flower..delicate and elegant.. it was my dad's favorite flower. It draws bees and butterflies during the growing season and even after.


Here is an entire row of Dill.. the smell makes your mouth water.. mmmm PICKLES!! Charlie says he planted pickles, but none came up...too bad. Dill tends to come back each year, but Charlie plants it anyway. One has to be careful about picking wild dill... some of it is deadly arsenic..


You can see how huge the dill heads are by my hand..I bent this shoot over to take the picture.. My hand smells like pickles now.. again.....mmmmmmm