Autumn Changes

Crunching down the path

Golden rod fuzzy with seeds

Hard maple in Fall colors

The changing colors over the pond

Shelling popcorn.  We shelled about 10 gallons this year.

Tulip planting time.  1400 whites, yellows, peach, red and purples.  I can hardly wait until spring!

Uncapping the Fall honey.  A dark yummy golden rod honey.  Not much this year but what we did get was super great.

The only filtering we do,

The bees cleaning up their supers before I put them away for the winter.

Seven years ago this oak fell over in a huge wind storm.  The roots still strong.  Even the backhoe couldn't get this out.  I guess my caldron will return to its resting place -not to mention Snowy the cat's favorite summer sleeping area.

Beautiful red berries.  Not sure what these are called.  The birds don't even eat them. Yet they add such lovely contrast to the changing colors of Autumn. 

Today's Journey Joys: The humming of the dishwasher, warm Autumn temperatures, super-finds at the auction, wood mulch delivered, firewood stored in the hoophouse, pumpkins being gobbled by our free-ranged pastured chickens (what orange yolks they have!), cleaning up outside and in, storing and sorting for winter, and the smell of fall leaves.

Autumn's Preparations

Firewood ready to split.  I'm so thankful for renewable resources which are readily available. I'm imagining being toasty warm inside during a cold, breezy snow storm. Drinking hot tea and ginger snap cookies.  Why wait?

Gourds

Harvesting popcorn before the racoons and deer do it for me.

Our neighbor's beautiful young cattle.  They like to look at me while I'm working.  I wonder what they think about?

Lavender - growing but still little.  I sure hope they make it through the winter.

The last of the zinnias.   We had two evenings of frost last week.

Rusty golden colors of autumn

The bones of the hedge apple tree starting to show.    

Cactus & Oklahoma zinnia.

The road less traveled.....

Today's Journey Joys:  Turkey and chicken processing done for the year.  A summer-like warm day after nights of brrr-cold temperatures, kitty-fur thickening, bees tucked into bed for winter, crunching of leaves during morning strolls to meet the bus, sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie, applesauce and muffins, brewing coffee and tea.