Goodbye to St. Martin's Summer

My violas and pansies have needed watering every day since we have had such a prolonged stretch of St. Martin's Summer. When I lived in New England I called these warm days Indian Summer. I first read of the Saint's summer in "The Garden in Winter", by the incomparable Elizabeth Lawrence. She devotes an entire chapter to it, and to the flowers that linger or prefer the autumn air. In Tennessee ,garden centers sell pansies as "winter survivors", and southerners bed them out to replace summer annuals. I prefer the smaller violas- the "Johnny-Jump Ups"- because their flowers are more in scale with their groundhugging rosettes of leaves. But all members of this ancient tribe are welcome in my window boxes. And today they have company, for my miniature daffodils are coming up around them. In November!

The Kindness of Strangers

The Blue Screen of Death came to haunt my computer around 3 weeks ago. It corrupted it, and it kept me off line. I anticipated another month until I could afford the inevitable $200.00 repair bill. Yet yesterday, a repair man came to fix something in my apartment. In passing I mentioned my computer was dead, killed by the Blue Screen.

"Let me look at it", said the man. An hour later he had fixed my computer by downloading a new driver. I paid him $50.00 for his work, even though he said I did not need to. He gave me his phone number to call if I had more problems. He saved me precious dollars out of the instinct to help. Out of the goodness of his heart. There are many good people in this world.

Percy Warner Park vista

This view is looking north-west. St Henry's Catholic Church is in the foreground, and out in the distance, though hidden, is the Cumberland River.

Scenes from Franklin Tennessee

Blue-stem Goldenrod

Little is blooming in Nashville woods and fields now, but I found this Blue-stem Goldenrod along a hill top trail at Percy Warner Park. I have always called this Wood goldenrod, but the experts say it is Solidago caesia.

Computer Troubles

I may be offline for a bit. I am having computer issues.

Dream House-Franklin Tennessee

This beautiful house with its double porches is only a few houses down from the Courthouse. It is for sale, and it is empty. Alas a window upstairs is broken, and one wonders if this is a clue that the house would be a money pit. But imagine if you can what these porches have seen- quiet Sunday mornings, brief snows,fireflies in mid-June,and the aftermath of the killing fields of the terrible Battle of Franklin. Yes , John Bell Hood led and fought here, and as always death and disaster followed him.