more november

What is that strange light emanating from the sky....could it be? Yes, sunshine. Had to grab the dogs and head for a cool, foot-soaking, windless walk.

Have a great weekend :)

red skies in the morning

...mean you must take warning....

....because before you know it, the skies turn grey.....

....and you must hurry to catch the last of the gold.....

.....before it's all gone...

*this post sponsored by the Excessive Use of Certain Types of Punctuation Society........

oh hi

Hey, where has October gone? Or for that matter, September?

I haven't posted in ages, and I don't really have an explanation for it-(except both my boys had the flu-and both are fine now, thanks).

I thought you would be more receptive to my lack of explanation if I posted a few horse and dog photos.

Because those always make everything better.

a (slightly) different perspective

I know this looks like all of my other 'field' pictures, but actually, it's taken from the end of the back field, looking towards the house.  You know, sometimes it's good to look at things from the other side, to take the long view, get a different perspective...It seems that today is cliche day at H&H....hey, a girl's gotta enjoy her field while she can.  Have a great wednesday :)

field of possibilities

Earlier in the summer, what looked like this:

now looks like this:

The farmers who lease our land (or the FWLOL)  have harvested the grain from the back field.  I don't know what kind it was- not wheat, we had that last year.  I'm hoping that this time they do not plow up the field before winter.  It's so great to have that flat espanse, it feels just like an extension of our lawn.  

Just think, we'll be able to go dirt biking (or trail biking even), ride our horses, maybe even let our dusty old cross-country skis see the light of day.  Or we could just run out really far, and twirl around while looking up at the sky (you know, Julie Andrews-style -like in The Sound of Music)...OR we could get a sleigh and hitch Sadie up to it, and give people rides in the snow while they cozy up under a fur throw (note to self-check craigslist for sleighs and fur throws).

OK, getting a little carried away, but it feels like we've reclaimed the back field for our own use (at least for a while, hopefully longer).

Have a wonderful mellow weekend-I must go, I have the sudden urge to run out in the field, while twirling around with my hands up in the air a la Julie Andrews... before the FWLOL's get to thinking about plowing up this lovely flat field....where did I put that skirt and apron?!   :)

back to school

With the yellow leaves fluttering down,  we rush around gathering new shoes, backpacks, supplies, haircuts, hopes.  We note with amazement and pride how tall they have grown.  Time for one last swim, long bike ride, ice cream cone.  It helps, you know, to keep those fluttery back-to-school butterflies calm in the belly.  Bittersweet back-to-school time.  So long summer, hello fresh start.  Everyone's getting straight A's this year, right?  :)  !!

late summer garden

My daughter is growing gigantic sunflowers in a bid to win the 'biggest head' in the sunflower category at the county fair.  The competition is pretty stiff, and even though she researched giant sunflower seeds, ordered them from some obscure catalogue, planted them early, watered, fed and lovingly cuddled them in her arms while crooning ancient plant-growing ballads,  and transplanted them under a full moon, I don't think she'll win.

The problem is, first they had to grow about seven feet tall.  Then, about two weeks ago, teeny tiny heads began to appear, and so far, they only look to be regular-sized.  Perhaps with sheer luck and a blast of sunshine, they might grow to be gigantic heads.  But I highly doubt it.

My tomatoes, on the other hand, are doing quite well.  There has been a blight which has killed many  local tomatoes, but mine have escaped.  I'd like to think that this was due to my sharply honed and refined gardening skills, but I'd be lying.  Mostly I think it was due to an overabundance of horse manure-which is magical stuff by the way.  But I don't want to be seen as bragging too much about my tomatoes.

Because I mostly want to brag about these:

Never have I  produced such an abundance of large butternut squash.  We'll be eating those 'till we turn orange, I suppose.  Can't wait.

Every summer is a gamble, in terms of vegetable-growing pursuits, isn't it?  Ah well,  it's not about the glory of winning the giant head competition, or the fabulous eight-dollar prize (yes, that's right, eight big ones-and I think cost of admission is twelve).  It's about seeing how much edible stuff you can grow with a minimal amount of effort and and healthy dose of neglect.  I'm surprised every year.

November

Frosty, sunshiny November morning

It's a good time for.......

A belly scratch! (Scout's philosophy: any and every time is a good time for a belly scratch!).

all hallow's eve

happy haunting

Ghosts and goblins will be roaming the streets tonight, but not around our place.  We have never been visited by any trick-or-treaters, our lane is a bit long and dark, and that is fine by me.  My husband will be taking the kids out to the neighbouring town to gather loot.  I will be sitting at home with my feet up, enjoying a glass of wine (it's as it should be, really).

I didn't think that my daughter would go out this year (she is fifteen after all), but she seems to be the one who is the most excited.  She even sent me out to purchase twenty-six yards of tulle for her ghostly costume (assembled in a free-form, no-sew manner by yours truly).  She makes a very effective ghost, don't you think?

Have a great Halloween, and remember, chocolate is good for you!

time pocket

Sometimes you are unexpectedly gifted with a little slice of time.  You'll be waiting for, let's say, your boy's piano lesson to be finished.  While you wait, you will realize that it's a beautiful day. You'll also realize that you actually brought your camera with you.  You will roam around the town.  You'll snap a few photos.

It will be so still and windless that you will hear the papery leaves falling to the ground.

So still that the river will appear not to be moving at all.

You'll try to take pictures of the falling leaves, but this is very hard to do and you won't quite be able to capture them.  You will instead remember the sound of them falling, and the dusky, earthy smell in the air.

You'll take a last look around, and take a picture of the piano teacher's japanese maple (and hope she thinks you're not a nut for lurking around in her landscaping)

You'll feel the sun on your face and feel peaceful.  And grateful for this sweet little pocket of time.

first frost

We had our first frost on Saturday night.  Any last remaining flowers have been pretty much zapped.  As far as outdoor tasks go, I still have to clean up my perennial beds before winter, and there's also some general leaf sweeping to be done, although the wind seems to do the job for me in the end.  We have a great number of black walnut trees, and the huge nuts are scattered everywhere.  We used to pick them up and toss them into sparsely-treed areas, hoping mother nature would do the planting for us, but we have also let them lie.  The squirrels are very efficient gatherers, and there are rarely any left in the spring.  So you see, my reluctance to pick up the nuts stems from the fact that I would be interfering with the squirrels.  I'm all about equal opportunities for squirrels and squirrel rights (or something like that).

My husband has mown the final bit of grass, and claims his list of tasks is almost complete too.  He'll have more time to monkey around with the kids now, something he truly excels at.

Being part-monkey comes in handy when he's on the (very, very) high roof (I can't look!) cleaning out the eavestroughs.  Perhaps I'll be able to give him my camera for some panoramic shots.  Let's hope we have many more good-weather days before winter makes its appearance.

the wise oak

On a day when you just don't feel quite centered within yourself, when things are just a little bit off, it's best to go for a walk.  

There is a trail which circles our back field and runs along the bush on the property.  I think it's the old tractor trail for the farm, and a way to enter the different fields without trampling whatever crops are growing there.  We try and cut the grass on it a few times in the summer and keep the brush from growing on it.  It isn't perfect, but we enjoy it, and so do the deer.

This is the best time of year to follow our little trail, because of the fall colours, of course, but more importantly: absence of mosquitoes!   It's best to take a trusty dog along with you.

It soon lets out into the first back side field, which is not to be confused with the second back side field.  I call them that because my creativity knows no bounds.  The first back side field looks pretty nice today, no?

We can't linger too long, though, since there is a purpose to this walk.  We are here to see the 'wise oak'.  In order to do that, we have to go into the bush itself.  In the summer and spring it's not that hospitable, because of the bugs and all the undergrowth and brambles, but today?  It's great.

There's stillness here.  And peace.  And squirrels.

A seasonal stream runs through this part.

And here, with its gnarled roots overhanging the stream, is the wise oak.  I call it that because, like I said before, my creativity knows no bounds.  This is one of the biggest trees close to the house.  It's huge and very old.  I am always drawn to this tree when I'm here.

You can get an idea of its size compared to my (fairly large) german shepherd.

This is a tree to linger over.  You have to step back, see all of its limbs, approach it from different angles, marvel at its height, examine the trunk, admire its leaves......

Touch its velvet moss-covered roots.  Sit awhile.  Think.

When you feel replenished (and it doesn't take that long, this is the wise oak, after all), you can follow a deer trail back to the  main trail.

Deer prints.

We can head back to the house now.  

"Hey, why didn't you take ME along, I'm totally trusty too!"