More Snow!

Front yard - more than frost on the pumpkin!

I don't know why I was shocked when I looked out the window this morning. I knew flakes were in the forecast ... but a major blanket of snow fell overnight. So much for leaf cleanup. The rest of the leaves are falling on top of the snow.

Back yard - doesn't the deck table look bleak. even with its beautiful white and gold table covering?

Side yard - this will be the last photo of the red maple. This year. I promise.

And the brilliant red maple is almost totally barren this morning. The weight of the snow was too much for the remaining leaves. It seems winter has arrived. Too soon!

Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

A few red leaves (becoming even more red) hangin' on (11/9)

Earlier this week on a bright and sunny day with gorgeous leaves all around town, I flipped on the radio to hear Christmas music ("the weather outside is frightful"). It seemed so wrong!

Today, I was almost ready for it.

The last couple of days have been a mad scramble to get ready for winter, even as snowflakes are prominent in the 10-day forecast. At my uncle's house I finally put away the 4 big potted cordylines, into the heated carriage house for the winter--fortuitously running into Ken, who helped.

At our house we actually found a spot in the garage for the patio chairs to nest, and packed up the umbrella in a bag for basement storage. The snowblower was started and put into position.

I blew and raked and bagged and hauled. I went to the yard waste dump and filled my big yard waste can. I washed the car after the muddy dump. A final mowing with the John Deere by the husband tidied the remainder of the lawn. More leaves will fall, but we are as ready as we can be, and way ahead of most of our neighbors.

And then I successfully blew off the roof! I checked out the new skylights up there for the first time. The husband held the ladder and handed up the hand blower. Then I squirted off the debris from the front of the house, before winding up the hose and detaching it from the house. I leave the hoses outside for the winter.

And today when I woke up, snow had indeed fallen. And sleety precipitation continued through most of the afternoon. I picked up two prescriptions and then, braving the weather (truly frightful) I went downtown to pick up symphony tickets and 20 Monroe Live tickets. I found out that the free ticket voucher from R&G was good for the pop concert this weekend, and so we have "Frank Sinatra" tickets for tomorrow evening! After all that yard work, I am going to scrub my nails and have a proper weekend!

Tonight--a warm and wonderful dinner at Bonefish Grill is planned with cousin V. and the hubbs--my reward for working hard to be ready for winter, well before Thanksgiving this year! Or, just because.

Later--
I really celebrated! A few bang bang shrimp, of course. Shrimp and lobster gnocchi. Two featured, (specially priced) cocktails: A pumpkin spice martini and their famous winter white cosmo with frozen cranberries! I am getting into the holiday spirit(s)!

After the Midterms...

Red maple leaves on ivy ... Christmassy!

Well, it's the morning after and the blue wave dwindled into something more like a trickling brook. Lots of red seats did turn blue, but not at the level predicted or at the  numbers of other controversial administrations at the midterms. And a few important Senate seats turned from blue to red (still counting, however) giving that body a stronger vote for confirming judges, for one thing.

So all in all, it was not a terrible night for conservatives. Important states will have Republican governors; looking to 2020: Ohio, Florida, Iowa and New Hampshire.

And even as the little blue wave was happening, the little red maple outside my sun room lost most of its leaves in the rain and wind. 

I raked up and stuffed bushels full of perfect red leaves into several black contractor bags today. The bright red leaves falling on the green ivy (above), with a few stray golden leaves mixed in was a little foretaste of Christmas. Looking forward to a little Christmas joy this year!

But wintry weather is in the forecast, with snowflakes predicted by tomorrow evening.

And, unfortunately, it is likely to continue to be frosty in all parts of red and blue state America, especially in and around the White House.

Fall - "Firing In" with a Final Blaze of Glory

Watching the 'Bloodgood' acer palmatum grow redder every day!

Every fall I photograph (opening the slider door--this morning 11-5-18) the Japanese maple tree just outside the sun room. I just can't believe how red it gets as early November days pass. Snowflakes are predicted again by this weekend and I hope that the red lasts a few more days and develops into a full blood-red. And then if the sun shines down through the canopy.........heavenly!

The ginko tree in my street-side yard is still green. All the leaves tend to fall off in one day in a big heap under the tree. Often they fall while they are still green. Ginko yellow is also gorgeous, and I am watching.

I have previously referenced how poets (and novelists, etc.) wax eloquent on what strikes them as beautiful in the natural world.

I don't know anyone who thinks that peak fall color is not worthy of awe and accolades--or a poem!

Sometimes, in a flash of memory, I recall ways that others have put their feelings into words and images.

One very memorable image I have is one where God is described as a "flasher," with brief and transitory moments of glory revealed. However, when I was in college we "enjoyed" (with giggles and disgust) a personal flasher doing his thing in front of a tree, white hanky handy, just outside our senior housing picture window. Since then the word flasher will forever have a particularly distasteful connotation for me!

Another word image from long ago came to mind the other day ... an image I much prefer to fall (or God) as a flasher.

Decades ago we watched the old German artist William Alexander on PBS, with his show "The Magic of Painting." He was an incredible painter, finishing a full canvas during a half-hour show. (Of course, now episodes can still be seen on YouTube). He was always "firing in" some color on his canvas with big strokes from his "almighty" brush, forming multiple trees in minutes.

I do like the idea of God "firing in" fall color (with his Almighty brush!)--especially the fiery reds of the *dwarf burning bush and the Bloodgood maples. At least the processes--which depend on rain, waning light, cooling temperatures, diminishing chlorophyll, and even a  protective cover forming before the leaves fall--are all pretty amazing. And God-designed!

*if you recall, God appeared to Moses in a burning bush--in a flashing blaze of glory!

Breakfast at "The Bakkerij"

"The De Zwaan"

One day soon I hope to have breakfast in the "old country" of Holland--in Amsterdam, or perhaps Rotterdam--the birthplace of my mother.

But today we traveled along country roads, past cornfields, churches and colorful groves of trees, all the way to Holland, Michigan to have breakfast at the Dutch Brothers restaurant and "Bakkerij."

We all enjoyed our selections, although my tomato slices did nothing to enhance this version (above) of a Monte Cristo, which came with maple syrup instead of the more usual jam and powdered sugar. I purchased a couple of sticks of banket (for Christmas) and some coffee beans at the bakery while resisting the other breads and sweets.

Deserted lake front on Halloween

It was dark when I got up (early for me) and that is my excuse for putting on my black yoga pants inside out. I discovered it after breakfast (much to my horror) while we were at the lake ... and before shopping at the huge Walmart superstore, where we were headed next. Perhaps I would have fit right in (you know the bad stereotypes of Walmart shoppers), but I quickly reversed my pants in the front seat of O's car while parked at the deserted beach.

For some reason my friends J. and O. thought the whole episode was hysterically funny. We laughed so hard I thought I might have to purchase some new underwear at Walmart!