COOKING, CLEARING, CHROME

It's feeling like autumn with chilly nights, lots of rain, and sunrises later and later in the morning.  The kitchen is full of tantalizing aromas. And there's been so much growth this year that the bush can use a good thinning. Can you see the forest for the trees?

The Garden Girl is always community-minded. This week another presentation, to praise but also sound the alarm about water. Much learned and much appreciated by the audience of about 40.

Around the pond the feral apple and pear trees are drooping below eye level. More pruning! Here's a before, during, and after. Other greenery takes over and, predictably, less becomes more.

A semi-sunny yesterday ragtopped us to the last car show of the season. Works of art on wheels. All-ages crowds gawking at all-ages cars!

Oh, there was the annual Giant Pumpkin weigh-in and, like the pickup trucks outside, the winners were half-tons. Kids could play fireman (I was over the height limit...). And there was a literal Rat Rod (look closely at the hood).

Sunshine brings out the dazzling colours. Pat's fave was a '40's creamy yellow hauler. For me, how to choose between two red and white Fords? Shine on!

IT'S AUTUMN, AND THINGS FALL

At the Beach --- now that the season is over --- the lifeguard station rebuild is being completed. Beach stones are piled like the stacks in the distance. Fat raccoons roam the gardens still loading up for the winter.

Back at Kemble a day started with fog but cleared up with sunshine in dramatic rays, like those old devotional calendar pictures. A rare visitor crawling on the shed turned out to be a hickory tussock moth caterpillar.

Cooler weather allows for yard work like mowing and tree pruning. But the chainsaw got dull at a bad time and this ash tree was left leaning like that tower of pizza in Italy.

What do you give a guy who has everything but lives in a cold shack in the woods? How about a few cords of firewood to help warm up the place? Happy Birthday, Wally!

It's the first day of autumn but our spirits fall with a very frustrating and angry-making situation in Toronto. A former tenant has used a recent legalism to prevent us from moving back upstairs. The sign is gone and we can't rent either unit. We are considering all options but we are stuck in limbo in our own house. Very very aggravating. Just as the sun rises every day, will we get over this somehow...?

MAtrimony STARTS WITH M&A

A wild and active week, starting with another local hike on the Bruce  Trail. Is that boulder or bolder?

But then back to Toronto to see the aftermath of the latest tropical storm. Pounding surf, the boardwalk covered with surge sand, and a research boat named "Ken Eau". Mean anything to you?

Then downtown to rubberneck the celebrities. Another gala premiere --- who's that on the red carpet? But the truly big show was across the street. We saw "Come From Away"--- on 9/11. I can only show you the stage set but it's one of the most uplifting live, nonstop 100 minutes ever.Highly recommended! *****

Then over to Michigan for The Main Event of the year for my family. We got a sneak peek of Matt & Amanda as we drove to the parking lot. Inside, a joyous gathering to witness the ceremony. What's unique? The guy officiating was a longtime friend and therefore --- one of the groomsmen! Here' the first kiss as Mr. & Mrs. And the glowing immediate family of the groom ---- my people !

Great idea to have the reception in the same building as the ceremony. Jokes and thanks all around, and another smooch. Poor glasses got clinked a lot. M&A led off the party with their first dance (can somebody out there remind me of the song??). And then hours of crazed dancing, family reconnections, and fun stunts like the photo booth...

We'll have to reminisce later because within 11 hours of leaving the wedding we returned to Canada and walked for Terry Fox in Sarnia. Beautiful shoreside park and big turnout. It's an annual 10K ritual in support of our sisters, all of whom have battled the disease.

A few hours later we're back home in Toronto. Surprise! Totally unexpected, tenants upstairs have given notice they're leaving. Within a day, the place has been staged, the pictures taken for the listing, and the sign is on the lawn. How's that for an eventful week??

SUNLIGHT OR CANDLE LIGHT?

It's a chilly 7C this morning but it's the time of year when the sunrises are most spectacular. Even the squirrels seem to pause from gathering to take it all in. Growing up by the Detroit River I used to see lake freighters every 20 minutes --- now it's nostalgic to see one every 20 days...

The hummingbirds are loading up for their long journey south. Inside on a rainy day, a challenging puzzle awaits. Are there more pieces or cars?? Can you spot a white '59 Buick? How about a '57 Chevy Nomad station wagon --- it's got chrome strips on the tailgate.

Also good weather for local hikes. Huge cracks in the glacial rock (alvars) make for an 80 ft. death drop and creepy vertigo.

It's Plant Sale month so the Gardener pots and loads a selection of perennials by thinning out this year's thick growth.

September is Birthday Month for at least 5 guys in our family. So Happy Birthday to Jack, Randy, Wally, Ryan B., and Rick. At least one of us prefers more sunlight to more candle light!