And Then There Were Two

Yesterday got up to 87ºF and today was to be the same, so I got started early on some more yard clean-up.  Tomorrow is supposed to be nice, as well, with our highs only in the 60's for the next few days after, followed by a bit warmer again.  Strange weather, this October.

The front sunflower is still doing okay and has two new beautiful blooms and they face the house.  This was the last to bloom and will be the last removed.

The large sunflower behind the corner of the garage also got a reprieve as it had two nice new blooms on top.  All others have been removed, with some bare stalks remaining to dry out until they are more easily removed from the ground.

It was a shame to take out most of the large sunflower plant by the back steps, but it was done blooming and all heads had been eaten as much as they could be.  This stalk was by far the thickest and pulling it would have brought up the whole area so that and the smaller one next to it remained as bare stalks to dry out in the ground.  I also noticed it had a new tenant this morning that I would have to evict before I started.  

My biggest sunflower, 2025

And actually, by the time I got to this plant I forgot about the spider as I snapped off limbs, so I have no idea what happened to it.  But I don't have any spider bites, so that's good.  Leaves and limbs went into the compost bin, the thick stalks are by the garage to dry out so they burn well and quick.

There's still plenty of time for fall cleanup, especially with the summer-like weather we've had.  Lots of leaves yet to turn before they fall, and we still have some wildflower blooms in the stump area.

Otherwise, a mostly relaxing weekend here.  (I've been following the news a lot this year, but I have to stop.  What is happening is so outrageous at every turn - I just can't comprehend the madness anymore.)  The Badger football team lost today, as I expected.  And the Brewers beat the Cubs in grand fashion to open their playoff series.  This is a good team; I really hope they go all the way and win the World Series.  Whether they do or not, I'm enjoying the ride.

Have a great weekend, everyone.