Do I hear December knocking at the door? Go away, I am not ready Yet....

Last Days Of October's Colors

Husband Dick brought these two sprigs of Sumac into the house after doing chores down by the horses and chickens.I never thought about using them for a bouquet and giggled
as I placed them into the vase. Always something new
to learn and so fun. They only lasted one day in the house.

We have had many warm, sunny days in October, colors were astounding. Rain and 20 mile an hour winds also shared our Fall. Stripping the gorgeous leaves and left them laying on the ground and what is left over from summer fun, empty chairs and swing.

Cushions are put away for the year. Heated birdbath is plugged in. Sweeping and using leaf blower can't keep us with the daily deposits of our escaping Fall, layering the deck and gardens.

A sturdy Hydrangea vine refuses to bow down to the wind and rain. A very slow grower it has been below the deck many years but now finely reaching the top deck. In summer it carries lovely flowers and the seed heads are just as lovely. Not at all evasive!

The burning bush still holds its soft pink leaves.

Hidden beneath the colorful leaves are tiny red seeds. Many fall and some do start to grow, but the deer eat almost all of them during the winter, leaving the main bush alone.

One of the last trees holding onto their leaves, I believe it is an off spring of the yellow Norway Maple seeds a friend gave me many years ago. Many of the trees on our land are grown from seed.

Trees we planted leaving us a large opening to drive the garden tractor or even just a break to walk to the third gardens of the upper level.

Looking out of the East windows the deck also gives a different view. Our land reaches down to a lower level of the large hill and flows out back beyond the 10 acre field we let a local farmer plant and harvest. Out back of the land is more woods, a pond and wetland. We are so blessed to have so many different types of environment and soil to work with. Being in Master Gardners twenty-six years I have learnt so many ways to use and enjoy these diverse areas. Twenty-seven acres all together. Except for the woods running along our road, the areas I have included this post use to be all farm field thirty years ago when we built our home and horse stable. Now mature trees shade us in the summer and give us something to look at when gazing out the window.

In November a break in the gray clouds whipping across the sky
brings relief of the dreariness. This is morning light at dawn.

A lone crow flys across my vision as I gaze out at my new day in November

Celebrating Christ's coming Christmas day

Christmas Tree, Words of Joy, Snowmen and Evergreens all Tradition
of what makes us Christians Celebrate Christ's Saving Grace.

December has come and is but a few days away to the end.

Christmas has passed, without being a dream of a white Christmas

like the song goes. The days come either rainy, or just plain cloudy.

We did Christmas as a real Christmas of no gift receiving or giving. Did

receive a few things and we did give anyone under 18 years gifts. Dick's idea.

Too many adults out of the 28 people that shared Christmas Eve went without and it

put a damper on the evening. But with our Five grown kids, spouses and grand kids plus a number of great grand kids it soon livened up with stories of past family happenings, catching up on the latest happenings and just sitting soaking up all the love, smiles, and noise of Christmas Eve cheer.

Fog rolling in wet and heavy the air is. We normally have a foot of snow.

Tomorrow will be December 28th, besides seeing the scale jumping higher from all the eating and good cheer, there is not much happening in our neck of the woods. Hunters got 9 does and 2 buck from our land and from surrounding farms they hunted on. I think the deer are still hiding because we have had no sight of them lately. In 4 more days we shall enter a New Year, new dreams, new diets, new adventures. This past year has been a delight most times. Beautiful fall in the 50 degrees, More sunny days than usual. Winter has arrived, no snow and still in the 30 and 40 degrees temperatures. The earth is still spinning and Wisconsin has missed all the terrible storms hitting the southern States. Plenty of rain to soak the earth because the area has not frozen tight yet. Soaking deeply into the root systems of the now dormant trees, bushes, and plants.

Here in Wisconsin we no longer can go out and work in the gardens. Instead I buy fresh flowers from the local flower shop. If you peek out the window in the background you can see the grass has greened up from all the warm wet weather. A few more months of winter and we will be back out side tending Spring surprises once more.

Below my Grand daughter Katelyn who is 18 and does beautiful stain glass pictures gave me this angel with her trumpet blowing.

I imagine the angel is alerting us, no matter how bad the world is treating us, no matter what the media blares out at us, Peace and Love do exist. Quietly in the back drop of a whirling and tragic world there are many people quietly going about their lives with love, surging towards what our great Creator, Savior is drawing out of His people. I know you all are in His image, loving, working to make our lives and our world a better place. Keep trying, keep loving, it's working.