Glimpse of Autumn

Glimpse of Autumn

Autumn is just making an appearance now, after a long and very hot summer here on the Canadian prairies. It was the driest on record. 

I have managed to keep my flower beds alive with carefully timed watering. I would go crazy without seeing my garden flourishing. Those blessed drought tolerant Petunias have kept their color in abundance. The trees are suffering, the crops are suffering, in fact it is so dry that the power boxes attached to our homes have shifted due to the dry ground resulting in electrical fires that have damaged a number of homes. Ours has been jumpered to the main power box in the alley so we are safe...fingers crossed. Water mains have broken in record numbers requiring the city to hire more workers to handle the volume of breaks

. 

Along with the dryness comes the proliferation of insects, there are so many aphids that their sheer volume blackens the rhubarb leaves. Hornets are everywhere, I've never seen so many! A squadron of them tried to build a nest in our air conditioning unit!  

 I fill the birdbath many times a day for the sparrows, robins and chickadees. The poor little things  cannot find a drop anywhere. No rainfall, no morning dew makes it hard for the birds to find a drink and take a refreshing bath.  

I will be glad when the fresh Autumn breeze begins to blow.