Last week was a yard-work kind of week. Spending time outside in October is no great strain, even if it involves blowing leaves, scrubbing pots, and bringing garden ornaments down cellar. In Maine, there is too much snow in the winter to leave most garden ornaments outside. I do leave a few of the staked ornaments out. Over the years, they have rusted and provide a nice contrast with snow.
In between work, I found time to admire the maple in our backyard.
Here is a close-up of this autumn glory.
But I also looked down and found this yellow fern.
Beauty above and beauty below.
Along with the beauty, there is also loss. A hard frost came and nipped the coleus.
But as my daughter Dee pointed out, the coleus brought color to our shady yard from June through October. And for this we are all grateful.
As we worked, Kai alternately napped and kept track of what we were doing. Here he is in napping mode. His perch allows him to survey the backyard. If you look closely, you can see the gazebo’s frame behind him.
Late Sunday afternoon, Clif suggested, “How about having a fire tonight?”
I thought about this for two seconds. “Great idea!”
The patio was covered in leaves, but it took me only five minutes or so to blow them off. Then it was a simple matter to set up the fire pit, chairs, and little tables, one of them makeshift—a bucket lid on an upturned plant pot. Worked wicked good, as we would say in Maine.
“How about some popcorn for a snack?” I asked.
Clif nodded. “And hot chocolate.”
Perfect for a chilly late afternoon.
We stayed out until the sky was dark and the moon rose and the solar lights came on.
A finest kind of way to end one week and begin another.
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Reading
I am the creative nonfiction editor for Résonance, an electronic literary journal “that seeks to encourage…creative works by established and emerging writers, primarily…about the Franco-American communities of the United States.” (From the mid-1800s to the early 1900s, roughly a million French Canadians emigrated to the United States, my ancestors among them. My family name is Meunier.)
The journal is published annually, and Volume 8 is now available. And what a fantastic issue it is, if I do say so myself. In the creative non-fiction section, the varied pieces show the range of what it is to be Franco-American, and the writing takes us not only across our country but around the world in unexpected ways. The journal also features an interview, book reviews, fiction, and poetry. Please take a look, if you have the time.
Over the next several weeks, I’ll highlight specific essays. Today, it’s “Trader Joe and Trader Vic: French Canadians, Otherness, and the Taste of Difference” by Leslie Choquette and Jay Gitlin. In “Trader Joe and Trader Vic,” Choquette and Gitlin explore the history of these two businesses and the founders’ Franco-American heritage. It’s a lively, informative piece that certainly taught me something I didn’t know, and I’m Franco-American.
Enjoy!
Nothing like a fire on a cool crisp evening.
Hate to see that beautiful coleus go, but it is that time of year.
🥴
Indeed it is. I am always a little sorry to see the last of the potted plants.
And glad to see Kai didn’t exert any extra energy helping.
😉
He knows how to relax.
Oh, no! What a shame to lose the coleus. Will the roots survive the winter so it resprout next year?
I do enjoy a firepit in the cold night air. We often roast chestnuts on ours.
No, the roots will not survive the winter. If I had a heated greenhouse, I probably could have pulled them through. If I had more sunny windows, I would have been able to root some clippings. Alas…
It all looks very autumnal. So nice to see your cat, enjoying his best life.
Thanks, Barbara. Cats know comfort.
Your maple tree is indeed, admirable!
I read the article about the Trader Joe’s and Trader Vic’s founders. Long! And fascinating. I had not heard of Trader Vic’s, but my husband has. And, he shopped at Trader Joe’s all of the time when he lived in Southern California. So I sent the article to him.
I had hoped the authors would address the legend of Two Buck Chuck’s wine at Trader Joe’s, especially when they wrote so much about the alcohol in both venues. I will peruse the internet to see if it’s a true story or not.
Thanks, Lorna. I found the piece fascinating. I, too, had never heard of Trader Vic’s. I have been to Trader Joe’s many times times.
The coleus were amazing it’s sad seeing them this way. And sitting by the fire during this time is amazing. You have a very beautiful cat and the yard is amazing too 😍
Many thanks! We feel very lucky to call this small patch of land home.
It’s always sad to see frost end the garden season, but a cosy fire sure makes up for it! 🧡
It does indeed. And while I love the blaze of October, I also love the minimalist landscape of November.
You have done well to be prepared for the coming months.
Thanks, Tootlepedal! We have to be on our toes in Maine. Even with climate change, winter can nip us in November.
Popcorn and hot chocolate around the fire pit – perfect!
It tasted pretty darned good!
A perfect fall day in New England! Your fern photo is certainly a keeper. The purplish leaves underneath it really make the whole thing a beautiful tapestry.
Ah, Kai’s got a good life up there in Maine with you…;-)
A-w-w, thanks! Might be one for my photo cards. Yes, Kai has a very good life.
Now that’s a day I’d call a perfect day! Lovely photos as well.
Many thanks! Such beautiful weather too.
What a wonderful evening! I bet you can see the milky way from your backyard!
Thanks, Betsy! Actually, because our house is nestled in the woods, we don’t see much of the sky.
A beautiful skyscape of forest instead. Your yard is lovely in fall.
You are right! I definitely see some similarities between Main and Sweden! Your yard is beautiful 🙂
Many thanks! We each live in the north, but I expect your latitude is higher than mine. (We are about 45.)
A wonderful way to enjoy a fall day in your garden in Maine while the weather is still pleasing.
I also enjoyed reading the article in the attached link.
Keep enjoying your October days. 🍂
Thanks, Tanya! What wonderful weather we’ve been having. Glad you enjoyed the piece.
Lovely photographs. Great idea about the fire. Nothing wrong with rust in the garden as long as it doesn’t eat stuff. The editing looks fascinating.
Thanks, Derrick! As far as I know, the rust in the garden doesn’t have much of an appetite. 😉
🙂
The maple in your backyard is indeed glorious. The hot chocolate and snacks brought a smile 😊.
Thanks, Rupali!
How cool that there’s a Franco American journal! With so many different kinds of people doing their thing around the country, I feel like the bad guys will never get us all! (I’ve been reading dystopian fiction, sorry!)
Right! Why does bad have such a stranglehold on us?
Ah, something with which to curl up this afternoon! Merci mon amie!
De rien!
Kai was clearly as unimpressed by that glorious maple as he was by your efforts in the garden. A cat’s life is clearly just too exhausting! 😊
I think Kai had tuckered himself out with previous watching.
I have a rusted squirrel who lives on my patio! I envy your weather, but I was intrigued by the article you mentioned. I’ve never been inside a Trader Joe’s, but I grew up well aware of Trader Vic’s, and the famous Mai-Tai created there. What I didn’t know was the location of the first Trader Vic’s: on San Pablo Avenue in Emeryville. That was part of my old stomping grounds when I lived in Berkeley.
It occurred to me to wonder if the name of the original Trader Vic’s, first called Hinky Dink’s, might have been a reference to the famous WWI song, “Mademoiselle from Armentieres.” I grew up giggling at verses like this, and I’d bet that’s where the name of the bar came from.
“Mademoiselle from Armentieres
Parlez-vous
Mademoiselle from Armentieres
She hasn’t been kissed for 40 years
Hinky-dinky parlez-vous.”
Could very well be! And I know you won’t envy our weather come winter. 😉
We’re running a bit over average in the temperature arena these days, perfect days and lovely evenings. I love your firepit! I’ll be right over for a fire and hot chocolate and popcorn!
Come on over!