Indian Summer

Today wasn't the most gorgeous of Indian summer days, but I'll take the warmth as it comes, blustery clouds, scattered showers, and all.

This time of year is always a little unsettling to me. After a frost, there's suddenly not much left to do in the garden.

Okay, there's plenty of cleanup to take care of, but nothing is urgent at all right now. THat will change when the sugar maple finally dumps its elves everywhere, but for now it's a strange lull.

With no garden activities to enjoy, the warm weather seems kind of a waste. But I also feel a vague need to take advantage of the day, because the sun is setting early, and there's not so very much daylight to be had these days.

The roses, for their part, seem unaware that everything else has died off. They're still blooming almost better than they did in the spring and summer. Being right next to the house surely helps keep them warm and sheltered from the wind.

Come to think of it, lots of red flowers around here didn't get the memo about the cold snap. Our mini petunias are also still going strong, and in the back yard there's this:

If the bees like red, they're in luck — lots of pollen to be had for some last food storage. The pale pink chrysanthemums in the front are just starting to open, and I expect the bees to like them better, thanks to their yellow, daisy-like centers. They bloom through December, and they're always covered with bumblebees and other neighborhood insects, probably because it's the only game in town at this time of year.