No Stopping

After all my years of gardening in Saskatchewan, the one thing I know for sure is that there is no stopping winter from arriving. This is the time of year that the timing of the snow keeps me on my toes. The saddest day of the year in my garden is the day I have to bring in all my garden art, which includes the sun stone and little squirrel sundial above. Anything that is not made of concrete, is super strong or too heavy to lift will be either brought into the house or put in the shop. It is a long day of heavy work to put it all away and the consequences of missing something are not much fun either. I lost a Mexican sunbaked tile by forgetting it out all winter. It was a gift from a friend and very disappointing to lose. Once the job is done, the garden will look very bare until the snow covers it. As a result, I try to leave it to the last possible day. Everything glass came inside today because the nights are getting cold. Everything else has been left out so far. I am keeping my eye on the forecast though. If I wait until the snow actually falls, it will be a cold, wet job as well and that usually leads to my first cold of the season. I try to avoid that scenario but my desire to stretch the season often leaves me wet and cold... whether it is planting last minute bulbs or moving things inside. It is hard to let go of the garden for our long winters. Often, I am glad to see the snow in late fall, being in need of a break. Always, I am ready for spring well before it arrives!