Monday, October 5, 2026

T Stands for Garden Cleanup

   Hi everyone. Happy new week to you. And hello to everyone who stops by Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog for T day.

   What's  new with me since now I'm home from my travels? First of all I am still in PT for my shoulder/arm and have an MRI scheduled for next week. My shoulder is doing a lot better, but my arm is still sore. The physical therapist thinks I have a bicep muscle injury, and I agree with her. I believe I injured it back last winter when my husband was down and out with his herniated disc and I was doing some "heavy lifting" because it was quite sore then. The thought is it wasn't quite healed when I started all my spring gardening, and I've reinjured it. I also wonder if it has to do with my thyroid, and I'll be getting that tested once I get rescheduled with my Primary care doctor. I was supposed to see her this week, but she's out on  a personal medical leave herself. The office says they believe she'll be back at the end of October and will reschedule me then. So for now,  let's see what the MRI says. 

   When we first got home a week ago we had some wet and windy days. Once that weather improved I decided it was time to go do some garden clean up. Luckily the clean up isn't very heavy duty, and my goal for the past weekend was to get some of it done.  The biggest thing was to pull out most of the veggies and trim back a few perennials.  I had hoped to put in a little stone patio this fall, but I am not going to do anything to make my arm worse. 

   Here's the veggie garden before I did any cleaning up.


    In some ways I hated to pull out some of the veggie plants because they were still producing.  But, with the prediction for some almost freezing temperatures a few nights this upcoming week, they wouldn't have produced for very long anyhow.



   You can see up against the greenhouse I still have kale, carrots and beets growing. Plus, there is some lettuce in one of the raised beds that I planted at the end of August. I've decided to cover that and see if I can get some more growth because lettuce actually prefers it chilly.


   It was a super garden season for me; my best in several years. But autumn is here as so many of the flowers are telling me.




  I still have a few blooms though, including some roses which have had a super second round of blooming.






    Let's see how long it will be until they are done too.

  Anyhow, I need a drink to share for my ticket to T this week, so let me share my new 2 sided mug that I bought while away in Canada. We visited the Nova Scotia Museum of Art in Halifax mainly because I wanted to see the Maud Lewis art. I will share her work in another post (my other 2 Canada posts are here and  here if you missed them and are curious) once I get a chance to go through my photos better. However, I really love her art so I wanted a souvenir of the visit. Here is my mug, both sides, when I had some tea one afternoon last week.



    They had several choices in 2 sides mugs, and I chose this one because we had visited many Nova Scotia harbors and also (even though the color wasn't this bold) it was autumn. I liked the size of this mug too; it's tall, thin and on the smaller size. I have plenty of big mugs, so it's nice to have one that isn't quite so large.

   That's it for me. Wishing everyone a happy T day and  week ahead. 


24 comments:

The Happy Whisk said...

Glad to read that your shoulder is better but sorry about the rest. Here's to getting all the way feeling good.

Love the garden shots. So fun to get out there and shoot.

The mug I'm drinking from right now is a Halloween tall and thin. Those are lovely. I agree! Happy Fall!

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

You are so lucky to have those troughs. Sure saves a lot of leaning over. That pea gravel is a great barrier, too. I love your cold frame greenhouse.

Both lettuce and carrots do well in colder climes. So does cilantro. Mine is finally doing well.

Your roses are still looking lovely. My sunflowers never bloomed this September. I think it was because it was too dry this summer.

That's a beautiful mug. It also appears to hold a lot of memories for you. Thanks for sharing your shoulder update, your gardens, and your new mug with us for T this week, Erika.

Tom said...

You still have some nice looking flowers, I'm about 75% cur back.

Anonymous said...

All the best for your shoulder health. I removed my tomato plants on the weekend. Your garden looks beautiful. Too bad it is the end of the season-Christine cmlk79.blogspot.com

Kathylorraine said...

Good evening, I loved seeing your garden areas. I still have not gotten outdoors to tidy up and pull weeds-still no rain here. and we are back into summer temps-Happy new week Hugs

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I love Maud Lewis's folk art. I've seen the Nova Scotia Museum of Art's retrospective and tribute to her probably about 3 times over the years -- it is SO special, one of the best displays anywhere that I've ever seen. She had such a hard and difficult life but her creative spirit shone through it all, when many others might have crumbled under the strain.

Now I must go and read your other Canada posts from your recent trip. I was away on another road trip when you posted them and so missed them the first time around.

peppylady (Dora) said...

Nice garden.

Iris Flavia said...

Hope your health improves. Oh, we stagger around, do we...
Hmmmm kale!!!! Ours even NEEDS frost!
And I love your mug. Happy T-Day, hugs

Angie's Recipes said...

Your garden is still looking really good even though the season is over. Gardening could be really fun if one enjoyed it.

brenda said...

Looks spick and span even before the clean up Erika and amazed you still have some veggies producing. Sadly the un-seasonally hot summer here along with hosepipe bans meant most things finished early. We do still have a few of the outdoor Italian tomatoes still producing, what they are surviving on is a mystery.

B x

Diana said...

Hope the MRI gives you some answers and the arm settles down soon. I'm looking forward to your Maud Lewis post, her colours are so cheerful. Nice that the mug reminds you of all those harbors.

Shari Burke said...

I hope you get some answers about what's causing your pain and that relief will follow! At this time of year, gardens can change so much in such a short period of time. A week ago, I was noticing that a fuchsia bush outside was still loaded with blooms. The next day, there was one left--the rest had been blown off in the wind. There is beauty of a different kind in the autumn garden, I always think.

David M. Gascoigne, said...

Everywhere looks spick and span following the cleanup. Now gotta do as good a job on those muscle pains. The two sided mug is delightful and will evoke memories each time you drink from it. All the best - David

CJ Kennedy said...

Beautiful garden and you have such a green thumb. Himself went out and covered some of his plants because of the temp dip and threat of frost. What a pretty mug! Stay warm today and Happy T Day

Lisca said...

Your garden looks lovely. It looked lovely even before you tidied up!
It's nice to still have a few colourful flowers to brighten up the garden. They will soon die.
And that mug is gorgeous. Especially as it has good memories for you.
Happy T-Day,
Lisca

Sharon Madson said...

Iam happy you had such a great garden this year! Happy T Day!

Lowcarb team member said...

I like your two sided mug.

So pleased you've had a good garden year, I think your roses are still looking good.

Look after your shoulder and may your MRI scan go well.

All the best Jan

DVArtist said...

I do hope your shoulder and arm heal fully very soon. Your garden did great this year and I don't see too much clean up to be done. The flowers are gorgeous. I do like this mug very much. Have a good day today.

DeniseinVA said...

Hi Erika, a beautiful garden with all that it includes. Sounds like you had an awesome time in Canada. Loved the mug! So sorry about your shoulder and arm and hope it will all get taken care of real soon. I will be thinking of you and sending lots of good vibes.

Dicky Bird said...

Your garden is so nice. Mine is my happy place. Good luck

Mary Kirkland said...

I like your garden, it's really nice.

Katerinas Blog said...

Good morning and happy Wednesday.
You keep your garden so beautifully tidy—it certainly requires work, but gardening is a wonderful, stress-relieving activity... I think it is in the garden that we truly feel the changing seasons. The mug is lovely, with its autumn colors. Your roses are, too. Thank you.

Bleubeard and Elizabeth said...

I read your comment about me being fussy when it comes to my kitchen. I'm trying to downsize and don't need anything pink. If it isn't white, copper, or cobalt blue, it doesn't belong in my kitchen. Sally isn't fussy and has a lot of crap she will never use.

BTW, my dining/living area is green and magenta,. I'm fussy there, too. Of course, I have a ton of rocking horses that don't exactly fit the color schemes.

Jeanie said...

I can't wait till your post on Maud Lewis -- I love her work. I'm so glad you had a good garden this year. I hear you on the frost -- it's happening here. I was amazed two of my basil plants and geraniums up north made it for a month with no water. (Lots of deadheads, though.) I have to do that clean-up this week. You've motivated me! Your garden looks great. I especially love the pix of the withered sunflowers.