Messy November

 Right on schedule the November rain and wind have arrived to dislodge all those pretty leaves and scatter them on the ground.

The fir and cedar trees are shedding all of their old needles, sending them into the wind. Fir needles are getting tracked into the house and into the car and everywhere. 

The rain puddles in the needles on the driveway. All that lovely gold from my last post will soon be gone. 

But it's OK. We have had a glorious Fall. Here in the PNW we appreciate our four seasons. We have wardrobes for them, and food to fit each and holidays to celebrate.

And we still have lingering beauty well into the dark months. 

Happy Veterans Day to all who have served, and to their families, who also serve. 

At the Park On A Sunday morning

 

All the leaves of gold

Loosen their hold

In November.

Red lingers.

We Survived, and the Beauty Lingers

Since my last post, we have had the end of Daylight Saving Time, the Day of the Dead, and Election Day. Mostly all good. 

I like having light earlier in the morning. Monday Night Football on the Day of the Dead was not good for the Seattle Seahawks. Bad, very bad. Election Day, very good!

Now it's Wednesday and the winners and losers are trying to explain themselves. Just give me the results, which are still coming in in some states. It was a very good year for women! It was a bad year for Trump, deservedly so. How will he respond? Will he get even nastier, or try to restore some legacy besides monuments to himself? 

Here at the Reeder Homestead, the clouds are slowly moving in, but the fog is gone. This will be the last day of sunshine for a while. Much needed rain is coming.

Outside the Japanese maples are putting on their big show before the final leaf fall.

In the front yard the Fern Leaf Full Moon Maple is in full glory.

The Korean Dogwood makes a nice companion.

In the back yard the unnamed red Japanese Maple is glowing with gorgeousness. 

Its dogwood companion is just beginning to light up.

Soon we'll be enjoying the color from the inside.

Through the kitchen window

and the dining room windows. Yes, the "Halloween" cacti are blooming. 

and the upstairs windows.

Now Tom wants me out in the garden for a consultation. Gotta' go outside. 

I can happily do that!

Where Have all The Flowers Gone?

 Saturday I picked the last of the zinnias and some still blooming French marigolds. There were more buds forming but with the night time temps now in the 30's, it was time to pull out the annuals and put the raised beds to bed for the winter.

I did that Sunday morning, while Tom cleaned out other beds around the lower yard. One more job done, but more to do.  We still have to get the dahlias out and stored. Tom plans to plant cover crop this year. 

In the early afternoon on Sunday we watched our Sounders lose badly to the Vancouver Whitecaps. I think our playoff hopes are over.

But this evening our Seahawks play 'da bears on Monday night Football. Go Hawks. 

Now at noon the fog is thinning and the sun is lighting up our maple trees. That will be my next post.

The housework is almost done. The laundry is calling me for the next load. All is well. 

Happy Halloween!

 

I did not carve that 40 pound pumpkin. It's probably 5 inches thick! Instead I drew a face with a permanent marker on the bumpy side of the pumpkin. It is sitting out at the corner of the garage where it can be seen down the driveway. After Halloween I will turn it around to the "pretty side" and it will continue to be an autumn decoration until Thanksgiving. Pumpkin orange is such a cheerful color. 

I have a little candy. I will see if we get any kids at the door. It has been a long time since we even tried to get trick or treaters here, what with our long driveway, no sidewalks, and we're on a hill. Long ago we used to place paper bag luminarias along the driveway to welcome candy seekers. 

It has been such a beautiful Fall here. I got over to the nearby park for a walk on Thursday morning. It was lovely.

Wednesday afternoon we spent almost two hours visiting our 99 year old friend Dede. She is not coming to Friday breakfast with us anymore, so we will need to make time to visit her. We took her some Halloween candy.

Thursday afternoon I had an appointment with my neurologist. Once again I know what I don't have, so NOT Parkinson's or Normal Pressure Hydrocephalies. That's good. A brain scan will be scheduled to see for sure.

 I sort of diagnosed myself: hip and lower back malfunctions from age and surgeries affecting balance and gait, type A personality that makes me have to hurry even now that I am aging and that makes me even more clumsy. My doctor said I probably got that right. :-/ Memory issues probably in the "normal aging" range. Not great to hear, but better than the afore mentioned. 

So now October is coming to an end already. Our dark, wet season is beginning. But wonderful color is still outside my window. I'll get back to the park later this morning. We'll turn our clocks back this evening. We'll watch soccer  instead of football on Sunday and the Seahawks play on Monday night. 

This week looks to be dry and we'll get outside to do yard work and enjoy the daylight.

Life rolls along. We just try to keep up.