Wait, what month is this?

I took this picture last week. Okay, so it's been a little colder here in New York this week, but seriously―does this look like November to you?

One of the reasons I've dropped off the radar for two months is that I haven't done much around the house. Partly that's because I've kind of been waiting for the seasons to change. I even took this Thanksgiving week off and was hoping to clean out the garden in my free time. No such luck. But you'll notice a few changes to the scenery, if you look closely.

First of all, there's a new fixture in the garden. That black urn is a fountain that my good friend and colleague Amy Hughes made for me. Come spring, you'll be able to see how she did it in the magazine in her Salvage column, as well as on the website. But it's pretty simple: cast iron urn, bathtub plug, pump, and conduit to snake the power cord back to the house.

While she was there, I asked Amy to help me rearrange the furniture, because she's much better at that than me. You can't see the whole layout here, but suffice it to say that it's a marked improvement to the junk-yard look I had going before. Now it looks and acts like a social space with room for guests or corners for relaxing. Off to the right out of frame I was even able to make room for a new teak chaise, a place where I can finally take a nap in my own garden. (I mean, what else am I supposed to do there?)

Also, I finally made some tables out of the broken marble and metal plant stands I salvaged from the backhouse before it was sold. I just epoxied the two together and I have a nice mod coffee table with a cool organic shape.

Too bad it's finally turning cold. Now I'll have to wait until spring to really enjoy this garden again. Can't wait!