in a pear tree

Another day skipped, another opportunity for December Blog Challenge almost perfect attendance squandered. I do have a new computer. The same kind, hopefully slightly longer lived. Well, I did rake the leaves the other day. I had just finished the raking and was starting the stuffing into bags process, with Harper's help. We had bagged 6 bags worth and still had about 10 big piles to go when I realized that the raking is actually the easy part. Just then, a neighbor came down with his wheelbarrow and asked if he could have the rest of the unbagged leaves to use as mulch in his flower beds. Why, yes sir! you certainly may. So, no more bagging for us, a decaying leaf blanket for his roses--wins all around. I was actually pretty inspired by his backyard vegetable garden. He was growing loofahs on his fence! And he had a huge okra harvest this year, apparently. Plus sweet potatoes, tomatoes, habenera peppers, spinach, strawberries--it was impressive. I would like to try tomatoes this year. We'll definitely need to build some sort of contraption to keep out the wildlife. Some neighbors a couple of houses down have an orange? clementine? tree that is currently bursting with fruit. We have been eating so many clementines this month, bought from the grocery store, not stolen from the neighbors' tree. Harper and Hudson actually call them clementiMes, which I think is very cute, so I don't correct them. Did you know Winston Churchill's wife was named Clementine? I have been very disappointed by all but a couple of pears I have bought this year. I don't know of anyone named Pear. Or Bartlett, or D'Anjou. Here's my leaf raking helper, who, at this particular moment was helping by sitting in the midst of a pile of leaves with her duck.

Something I would like to note, because it is something of a Christmas miracle, Harper and Hudson played outside in the backyard for probably an hour and a half this morning, by themselves, without conflict. AND, when Hudson sustained a minor head bump, Harper, unsolicited AND not knowing I was watching from the window, tended to him very tenderly, even giving him a hug to make it better. !!!!!

And Helena stood up by herself today. And tried avocado. NOT a fan.