Wintery Fall

A frigid scene on my walk today. The bird and I seemed to be the only ones out on this blustery day.

11/17 - Monday.   I keep having to remind myself that we are smack in the middle of Autumn,  since the weather continues to look like the dead of winter. This morning I woke up to the remnants of an ice storm which jolted me into my winter driving mindset, as I nearly slid through the first stop sign at the bottom of my hill. As I waited for my car to be serviced, the TV weather reported "cold and blustery weather that feels like 26°F", even though it was a balmy 33°F. Brrrr.

Since I was out and about for medical and car service appts, I ran a few other errands. I realized I hadn't planted a single spring bulb this fall, so I decided to stop by Home Depot to see what was left. Perfect timing for me! They had just put out three shopping carts full of bulbs FOR FREE! Here is my haul:

I added up the value and it's $220 worth of crocus, tulip, and allium bulbs - well worth the little side trip.
Next weekend's forecast is for temps back up in the 50's so that will be my planting time.

Now that I'm home I may process a few more of my free pumpkins into puree for the freezer. Except the one that started to spontaneously decompose. I guess I better process the remaining four very soon.

I got some walking done as well. I tried out and approved of my new wool hat I picked up in Ireland last summer. Even though it was windy, I was toasty warm on my walk and even took off my gloves for a bit.

Full winter gear was needed today - lots of wool, fleece, and down. It's good to have eyebrows again too!

I've no idea what plant produces these berries, but there were thousands of them.

11/20 Thursday 

Gardening at 32°F is not that bad! I put on some music and started lifting the sod to tidy up the deck landing. It's been nagging at me since September. Two trip to the hardware store, lots of lifting and hauling rock, and the landing for the stairs is no longer annoying me. 

Before. This awkward configuration was left after the steps were relocated. I had
a huge rock I wanted to use as a stepping stone, that was located way behind the wall.

After. It's not perfect but I can live with it for now. I'll definitely curve
out that pointy bit and think about a planting bed next to this pathway.

I also decided to plant up some of the tulip and crocus bulbs in pots and give them to friends. Some will go into the back garden, but most I’ll give away. Dale gets the first pot when I meet her for lunch tomorrow. My sister will also get some when I see her for Thanksgiving - next week?? How did that get here so soon?

Listening to a very long book on Spotify is motivating me to keep up my walking routine. I can't listen to a book when I am working around the house because my mind wanders off. On a walk, I can focus solely on the story. The sky was incredibly blue today and there wasn’t any wind so it was a pleasant enough walk.

I stopped down at the lake and sat on the dock for a while just enjoying the stillness except for some duck activity. 

11/21 Friday

I met Dale for lunch and hope I provided a good listening ear for her. She's dealt with 4 family deaths this year and it's taken a toll. We had a 2 hour lunch and therapy session. 😊 She was pleased with the pot of spring bulbs to look forward to.

Afterwards, I stopped at the bike trail and decided to walk there for an hour. It is amazing how different it looks going slowly by foot. I noticed the rock outcroppings that have been grabbing my attention nearly everywhere on this side of the river. Steeply pitched and very fissile shale. I remember their origin story  from my geologist days. It is of interest only to geologists I suspect.

The shale is so crumbly I can break it apart with my hands.

Even though the temperature was a bit higher than yesterday,
 it felt colder and the sky was certainly beaker.