Gassed

I don't know what to say, feeling so upset about what's going on outside my house.  There are huge piles of dirt dug up with just as many huge holes in the ground, something about converting to high pressure gas lines.

One of the things I read about high pressure gas lines is to run if you smell gas!  This is encouraging, live with my eighty year old lines underground or worry about the whole block blowing up.  However, this is the future, lots of yellow plastic pipe laying all over the neighborhood ready to be shoved into the ground some day soon.

The pipes are ready across the street to shoot through the ground taking the place of the eighty plus year old pipes that are there now.

I am in and out on a daily basis and leave with trepidation wondering what I am going to come home to, front lawn dug up, stone walkways disturbed, shrubbery and plantings thrown to the side.  They did tell me the gas will be shut off for two to three hours at some point but they will let me know.  I am considering training my dog how to go upstairs and get under the covers.

There are big holes and little holes all the way up and down the block with giant holes at the corners.  We haven't heard a thing from the village about this process!

This is the hole in front of my house, pipe visible and the roots of the same tree that was dug up on the opposite side last spring.  We can only hope this tree will survive.

Fall continues on oblivious to all of this digging and disruption of the earth, leaves continue to change color and the last blooms of fall put on a spectacular show.

I forget each year how beautiful the Star Magnolia is behind the gold and brown of the Panicum Northwind.

The Itea Little Henry has finally begun to change color.  It was as least a month ago that I saw it completely changed at the Morton Arboretum.

I found out that this beautiful PJM Rodie is of the Elite variety whose leaves turn red and then back to green.  I knew the last one I had left after replacing two just didn't look like the new ones even though all were PJM's.  Oh well, the flowers are pretty much the same color!  So be careful if buying PJM's they are not all the same.

I lost my previous Viburnum Carlesi Compactum and replaced it last spring with a new one.  My old one never had this wonderful coloring so I wonder if it wasn't quite right from the beginning.

I am into borders and color again trying to make it year round to the fullest extent in a zone five area.

Azalea Karen will keep its leaves all winter.

Azalea Karen

I am trying to get more grasses in the borders also that can be left up over the winter to add interest.

This is the border facing south with grasses and evergreens to add winter interest.

This is Molina Moorexe in its first year, known as a see through grass and about three feet tall.

The cabbages are fantastic and this one is in the concrete planters in the back by the garage.

These are the cabbages I bought very small at an inexpensive price still among the surviving fibrous begonias even after a frost last night.

Last, but not least and I can't help but showing this rose even after a frost - Rainbow Knockout!