Arlo and Janis by Jimmy Johnson for September 20, 2020

Now she is talking to the plant, right? Argo (thanks for making fun of my typo) doesn’t seem entirely sure.

It’s hard to relax around someone who’s incapable of it.

Sorry Deep Space, the point is her growing season is ending and his raking is begining. As much as Janis enjoys her tasks, Arlo does not get the same tingle with his.

Like football and baseball fall is the time of year when outside activities overlap. The grass needs mowing and the leaves need blowing.

Poor Arlo. I wonder if there’s less turmoil on his planet.

Well, this drink ain’t gonna finish itself and somebody’s got to keep watch for intruders. No need to thank me, Dear.

Here in Northern California, we usually have to water through most, or sometimes all, of October.

It’s a trade-off though… I get tomatoes at least that late, too, if I waited till mid-May to plant them….

and the lack of snow makes most perennials actually perennial, though this past winter was harder on them than most.

 

I didn’t plant much this year… a couple of scrawny tomato plants are only going to give me a small taste of summer…

especially with the farmer’s markets and various other events all closed.

Next year!

not for MY wife…she’ll sit and watch me work for hours!

An ominous utterance from one’s spouse. As spring is a time of beginnings, fall is a time of endings and introspection. Is Arlo wondering if this message has broader implications beyond yard plants?

Tune in next week when Arlo says https://www.gocomics.com/arloandjanis/2011/11/16

What with the pandemic and now Hurricane Sally here in Pensacola, this is not my favorite year!

Live or die. Your choice. Janis has spoken.

One of my mango plants decided to die early, not even wait for cold weather to kill it. One of the avocado seedlings may have masterminded an escape — or 20 month-old Harper moved it elsewhere. She frequently rearranges things ere you realize she has touched them.

Hurricane Sally sent a number of trees to an early death. (Sally may have been a good ole girl, but she was no Ivan. The trees still have leaves after the blow.) No major tree losses here although Mama came over DURING the hurricane to tell us her Chinese Elm had fallen. djt probably scared it with his dislike of Chinese, Mexicans, Germans, Canadians — maybe even some Russians if they aren’t loyal to Vlad the Poisoner. Oaks, pines, sweetgums snapped off or uprooted all over.

Power was restored yesterday. We’ll try school again tomorrow. A piece of 3-mile Bridge from Pensacola to Gulf Breeze left the main bridge, probably hiding under water. The two coons on the front porch still resent the cats eating the food they assume is placed there for them. Escambia river is dropping from flood stage. (We would have gladly shared rain with California.)

Using tough love on the lawn . . . good luck with that.

That’s what I said to my tomato plants this week.

After carrying that pitcher all summer, Janis is bushed.

I’m with Arlo on this. Especially after the way college football has been completely “snafued” this season. No longer care much for “Pro” football.

I know how she feels. I got to plant my heart out this spring due to moving to a new apartment complex with a large deck. My other apartment was right on a busy street and I never used it at all. Lived there 10 years. Can’t have indoor plants because my cats love them too…now it’s fall and I’ve had to toss all the potted plants except for a few that are still hanging in there. Very sad but I will plan better next year. Less plants, more color, less work…

She’s telling all the plants this is their last watering for the season!

Fall? Or Autumn?

You might get by with this, if the plant were in the ground but potted plants are still going to need occasional watering.

Well a woman like Janis I would faithfully help her with the chores no matter how much I would have to endure.

I thought it meant that he couldn’t watch her in a tank top and shorts. The flannel pajamas are next.

We do not have a front lawn – mostly driveway in front and managed to (intentionally) kill off the rest. We did not really go out mid March through June and did not think about what was happening in the back yard. We had to have a new ac put in our bedroom and while outside cleaning up the mess left after same we each spotted the back yard. At that point the weeds and grass where only thigh high and the poison ivy (normally killed annually by husband as it is getting started) was just starting up the foundation. It is now all taller than me and the poison ivy has been working up the wall and has found it way to the front of the house.

Our neighbors on either side have gardeners and it has hit the time when husband goes crazy as they – mostly the one for the neighbor on the straight part of our driveway side of our house – blow the leaves onto our property to get rid of them from the other properties. We know this as the one that is the bigger problem also blows the grass and dog poo – the later of which husband the hard way while picking up the leaves. The entire cut to the street on that side was filled with leaves to the height of the grass and sidewalk around it.

So today husband decided we had to deal with the leaves – at least for now. For us this means he rakes them onto the driveway and I use a snow shovel to pick them up into the garbage pail – filled 5 bags of leaves before he was too tired to continue. I hope the town is picking up yard waster this year.