Taking Advantage

Mr Chiot’s and I love Election Day, none of this early voting for us, there’s just something about getting up on Election Day and casting your ballot in that little booth, taking advantage of the freedom we have in this great country.

We have a ritual: we get up drink coffee, leash up the Chiots and walk down to the voting place. It’s a nice walk, a little over 2 miles each way. This morning was especially beautiful with the warm sunny fall weather.

We live in a lake community so we vote at the clubhouse which is at the main beach, a beautiful destination.

We tied the Chiots up to a post outside and then in we went to cast our ballots.

After voting we started out leisurely walk home. Unfortunately we didn’t have as nice of a walk home. There was another dog owner not following the leash laws and her dogs ran out and one of them attacked Lucy (unfortunately she had her Halti Head Collar – 3 on so she couldn’t really fight back). So the rest of our morning was spent calling the sheriff and the vet and then running down the vet’s office for Lucy to get some staples to seal up the wounds. So 3 hours later and $50 poorer, we’ve cast our ballots.

WARNING: graphic photo coming up next.

So what did Lucy vote for?* Upholding the leash laws of course.

*Actually Lucy isn’t registered to vote, didn’t vote and no voter fraud took place this morning here at Chiot’s Run.

So did you vote early or do you like the Election Day experience like we do?

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Daylight Savings Time

What is the deal with Daylight Savings Time anyways?

The tunnel of winter has settled over our lives, ushered in by that great official Hoodwink, the end of daylight savings time. Personally I would vote for one more hour of light on winter evenings instead of the sudden extra-early blackout. Whose idea was it to jilt us this way, leaving us cold in November with our unsaved remnants of daylight petering out before the workday ends? In my childhood, as early as that, I remember observing the same despair every autumn: the feeling that sunshine, summertime, and probably life itself had passed me before I’d even finished a halfway decent tree fort. But mine is not to question those who command the springing forward and the falling back.

Barbara Kingsolver (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle)

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Still Blooming

I still have a few things blooming in my garden. It seems weird to look out and see it snowing while a Black-Eyed Susan is blooming. This one is actually growing in my driveway.

My Carpet of snow Alyssum is also still blooming. I’ll definitely be planting some more of these next year. They looked great all summer even with the drought.

Surprisingly my Zinnia’s haven’t been killed by the frosts or freezes. My friends that live in town already lost theirs. I’m sure it won’t be too long for them though. My marigolds are also going strong. They look just as good as they did mid summer. We’ll see how much longer they last.

Anyone else still have blooms in the garden?

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Happy Halloween from the Chiots

Lucy wanted to make sure I wished you all a Happy Halloween. This evening we’ll be headed over to my parent’s house and Lucy will get to go trick-or-treating with her cousins (our nieces & nephew). She wanted to make sure I shared her favorite costume with everyone on the blog.


Any guesses as to who Lucy is this year?

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Winter Flowers

Even though this is my first year for having them in my gardens, I’ve always been a huge fan of flowering kale. I bought 2 plants at the farmer’s market earlier this summer. Next year I’m hoping to buy a packet of seeds so I can tuck them in throughout the gardens. They’re just so interesting, and they get prettier and prettier the colder it gets. They’re a great way to add some color and interest to a fall & winter garden. I’m super excited to see how my plants change throughout the winter.

I only have 2 colors, the greenhouse I went to in October had all different kinds and sizes. They had some giant white ones that were fantastic. I’ll have to decide what kinds I want next year and order some seeds. Seedman has a HUGE selection, now I just have to decide which ones I want.


I love how they hold dew on the ends of the leaves. They just glisten on a cold sunny morning. I suppose if I got out on a really cold morning there will be ice on the ends instead of dew.

Do any of you have flowering kale in your gardens?

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