WRAPPING THINGS UP

PERENNIAL GARDEN, CUT DOWN AND  PUT TO BED

BAYFIELD CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ANNUAL MEETING

EUROPEAN LARCH

WITH SMALL,  PENDULOUS CONES

Thursday, 8:15 AM.  36 degrees F at the ferry dock, 33 on the back porch.  Wind west, mostly calm with occasional moderate gusts.  The sky is mostly cloudy, the humidity 67%.  The barometer is still rising, now at 30.19".  It is mostly a "mostly" day.
   For me, yesterday really marked the end of the gardening year, as I cut down the perennial garden, putting it to bed until spring.  With the lawn leaves mulched and the bulbs planted there is little else left to do, except perhaps some tree and shrub pruning.
   With those tasks done, my project for the day is to move my tree stand from down in the ravine to up on the hill, closer to the road.  I don't see a lot of deer sign anywhere, so I will move it closer to the main road so I have reasonable access if we get significant snow before opening day.  I can still hike down to the ravine if the weather is good.  There aren't a lot of deer around, although there are always  some.  Two terrible winters, too many doe seasons, and the wolf pack have driven the Bayfield area deer population way down and it will take some good winters and some time for it to recover.  With few deer in the area, the wolves have moved on, and we see or hear little about them now.
   On the national political front, the President says he looks forward to cooperating with the Republican majority, but also indicates he will take executive action on matters such as immigration if he doesn't get his way.  Sounds like more gridlock and confrontation to me.  He is an angry, resentful, self-righteous man.
   Last evening was the  Chamber of Commerce annual meeting and dinner, which was well attended, the food excellent, and the business meeting mercifully short and with no after dinner speaker to put everyone to sleep.
   Our native tamaracks, Larix laricina, have lost their deciduous bronze needles, but the European larch, Larix decidua, its more stately close relative, still retains theirs, a good distinguishing characteristic.  Another is the larger, pendulous cones, which are very obvious, compared to those of the American species, which are much smaller, and  adhere to the branches.