We spent the morning in the rain. We're trying to embrace it. Sebastian and I walked into town for art class, wandered around the streets in the downpour. Sebastian doesn't mind the rain in his full-body rain suit and often trudges along saying, "I like the rain. I like it. I like the rain." But I haven't been as patient, not when the stroller is pooling and we have a long narrow-shouldered highway to make our home on. We headed down to the kiosk for our last burritos and tacos of the season, stood under the patio with the dock folks-- the island workers (Alex amongst them), the water taxi driver, sailboat dwellers, dock kids (Sebastian and friends)-- and watched the rain come down. Something of a camaraderie. We took a walk on the dock, watched the big fishing boats rock, no one really coming or going. I remember now why we love cafes, and how clothes and walls grow mouldy (but not this year, dammit), and that we still have never bought an umbrella. 

The garden is more or less tucked away for the season. We have one lonely raised bed half-full of chard and kale that will supplement throughout the winter, half a dozen beets stored in the ground somewhere and garlic planted for next summer, but that's about it. Everything else is covered in maple leaves. We have been collecting leaves like we're hobos and they're beer bottles. Leaves are a hot commodity for us, with only a few cherry trees in the yard and the rest acidic cedars. We've been dragging dozens of bags home throughout the month, and now the compost is full, the beds are covered, and we're happy to know our hard work will finally extend into seasons upon seasons as we stay in this house and build up the yard. We're planning for spring and summer gardens already, shovelling grass over for new garden beds, dog-earing and circling pages in the seed catalogue (well, maybe that's just me). In the meantime, we'll be collecting rain (and hoping all the Easterners protection from the storm today!). 

My new rain shoes and a pathetic brussels sprout plant.

Goodbye lawn, hello winter garden.

The cabin, empty and cold. 

Rock gardens and raised bed.

Little lion in mama's sweater after a long night walk in the rain.

Sneak peak at a halloween lion.