November 26, 2011

It is the week after Thanksgiving. My older sister came for Thanksgiving day. She brought her dogs with her, two Corgi's, which were well-behaved and made me want a dog. I am trying to hold off until Spring, but I am still checking both Rottweiler rescue and Pug rescue. Because I am pretty much insane.

This is a picture of me that my husband Don took about a week ago. No make-up, still recovering from a 3-week bout of some pulmonary something-or-other, and I see I have many wrinkles these days. It is because I try to laugh a lot and because I am 60.

This is a week of contemplation and quiet. Most everyone else is standing in line somewhere in front of Wal-Mart or Target or Best Buy. But I don't like shopping and can't stand crowds. So I'm staying home, finishing up the last of the Christmas decorating. Frankly just the thought of shopping in pushing or shoving crowds makes my eyes roll back up in my head. I saw all of that on the news this morning. No thanks.

Don and I are planning a round of trips to keep us busy over the winter. California, Texas, Florida -- all good places to visit in February and March.

It is supposed to snow again tomorrow and our weather man said this morning, that this morning would be our last nice day of the year. Nice being a relative term for most people. But it's in the high 40's and cloudy. The two small lakes you can see from the house are quiet and gray today. But when the sun is out, you can see them sparkle and dance from the living room windows. Am I falling in love with this property? Yes. Some. It grows on you. All the beautiful maples trees and the gentle roll of the land here is wonderful to look at. The birds are frantically at work at the feeders and a black squirrel, who grows larger and fatter every day, comes once a day to jam his jowls with black sunflower seeds. Wildlife abounds here. We have even read newspaper accounts of black bear in this county.

I am hoping to see a red fox one day soon. I imagine him loping across the white snow, black-tipped ears, on the hunt or perhaps just heading over to the lake to catch a large frog for a quick meal.

Friday, November 18th, 2011

I got up early this morning. It was windy and the wind was roaring through the leafless trees. Normally the time change makes me crazy and it takes me a full two weeks to readjust to the single hour change. But this morning I was grateful it started to get light early.

If you look on the left side of this photo, you can see the flag moving in the wind. The wind is from the south today which normally keeps the air warmer. But the wind chills are in the mid-20's and it's cold. We know winter is coming. We try to stave it off by doing whatever outdoor chores we can before the snow comes. Don was out picking up leaves again, I went around and picked up all the fallen branches and threw them on the outdoor fire pit. But by now, there are probably hundreds more branches blown down. If we used our fireplace it would be a constant source of kindling. We don't know if the fireplace works yet. We haven't had anyone out to look at it.

The deer come every evening around 5:00 p.m. to munch on the apples. People around here sell "deer apples" and people use them as bait to lure the deer close. Gun season started this past Tuesday. We hear shotgun blasts regularly throughout the day, starting early in the morning. But at our house, we let the deer come close and munch on the apples in peace.

Out in the garden there is a plastic beach ball blowing around everywhere. It started out as part of Dolly, our scarecrow, and gave her an impressive bustline. Later, halfway through the summer, it sunk down and she looked pregnant. Now she stands out there, more or less headless, bustless, and not pregnant. And the beach ball kicks around happily in the wind gusts.

Winter is coming, winter is coming, winter is coming. . . . It is like a drum beat in my head. I don't dread the winter. It's not the cold weather. It's not the snow. The older I get, winter is just a season, a short part of the whole year. I fear the inactivity. The boredom. Being house-bound. What will we do?

November 11, 2011 Veteran's Day

This is the garden we woke up to this morning! The deer fencing is all draped on top like garland on a Christmas tree. The trees are frosted with snow and hoar frost. It's hard to imagine that 6' tall tomato bushes groaning with wheel barrow loads of tomatoes and beautiful translucent onions standing in rows like soldiers used to grow here just a couple of months ago. It is so beautiful!

On the other side of the house, it's a scene from Peter and the Wolf. The pine trees are loaded with perfect snow. I wish I had to dog to go outside and romp in the snow with. Don wants a big Rottweiler. And he wants a small, black pug. Today, I want them all. A happy house full of wagging tails coming in from a romp in the fresh snow.

This week-end promises to be warm and sunny, in the low 50's. So all the snow will be gone. We are going to dig a "pumpkin hole" next to the garden. This is a two foot high, two foot diameter hole, lasagne-layered with soil and cow manure and leaves and whatever else I can find. It will cook all winter long and by spring, it will be a warm pot, perfect for the Cinderella pumpkins I plan to plant. They are prickly enough that the deer will not bother them. I hope the vines take over the entire west side of the garden. Then we'll have less yard to mow!