Bird Feeder Up, and…
…impeachment hearing observed. Not the most productive day, but interesting.
More light snow this evening.
Single Digits Tonight…
…and cold all day long. Creepers a good idea when walking. Yesterday a small flock of robins scavenging remaining fruit from Vi’s big crabapple, and today lots of sandhills moving south in a hurry. We have all been surprised.
And, this evening, to the barn with Ellie for some equestrian work.
Could This Be The Beginning of…
…a long, hard winter?
Biting wind, blowing snow, falling temperatures. Cleaning up after the storm problematic due to coagulated, conglomerated, concretized, leaves. I had to rake Vi’s driveway before trying to blow it clear.
Just Pax and Me
Sue south.
Breakfast with the boys at Amalia’s. Work on the iceboat plank. Balance of gutter cleaning work. Prairie walk. Gray and chilly day (with a winter warning again in the forecast).
If I remember rightly, one of the first photos I ever posted as a blog, many years ago now, (November 14, 2011) was of gutter cleaning. Some things bear repeating (though it helps to have waterproof gloves).
BIG Family Party…
…at the Morisons. Countless little ones.
With the older kids plaYING a game of Werewolf (no peeking).
Meanwhile Pax stayed with the neighbors across the street. Both they and he had a good time, but he did seem quite glad to come home.
Ice On The Ponds…
…and more and deeper cold forecast, so could be sailing soon. Time to finish up iceboat plank repair (WEST epoxy with adhesive and fairing fillers).
Fall Leaves Fall
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me,
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.
A Cold One
Hazardous morning walk—ice underfoot some places, salted walks other places (which Pax finds very uncomfortable).
Shagbark hickory holding on to its leaves
Afternoon walk at the prairie not slippery, but, with a bit of a breeze, quite chilly. However, according to an article sent by Abby, “There is no such thing as bad weather, only bad clothing,” and we were well dressed, including Pax who has on his winter coat.
Some sanding and epoxy work on the iceboat plank asking for attention in the basement. And for dinner, homegrown squash soup along with ale-steamed Prince Edward Island mussels (which brings back memories of Philadelphia).
Up To The Hubcaps…
…in mud, when we took the trailer-full of leaves and tomato vines to the Whitewater compost site. I would have taken a photo there except I try not to post scary pictures on this blog. (One would think that the City could afford a load of gravel since, unlike every other town, it provides no curbside leaf vacuum service.)
My favorite hemlock
In addition to that grisly task we dropped off an extraordinarily heavy dresser at Goodwill in Janesville, bought a bag of PEI mussels at the J’ville Festival store, got flu shots at Walgreens back in W’water, and then, to top things off, cleaned the east side gutters—which were packed solid with pine needles, oak and birch leaves, snow, and ice. Painfully cold even changing gloves every few minutes.
More Theatrics
Over to American Players Theatre in Spring Green (with neighbors), for a production called “Doll House, Part 2.” I was able to get away quickly right at the closing curtain because Pax was waiting in the car and needed a walk, and that was fortunate for everyone because I never had to express my opinion of the play.
Also fortunately, on the way home we were able to stop at the Arena Cheese factory, in Arena, for some cheese—10 year cheddar, bleu, and smoked Gouda.
Fast Moving Clouds…
…with a sense of changing seasons in the air, along with trying to adjust to the time change. Dark by 5?
Pax loving it however, asking me to race him on our bike/run to the prairie and back. Three-year-old Kentucky Coffee Tree (started from seed) transplanted from it’s nursery in the back yard to a prominent spot in the front yard. Leaves raked (with completion in sight). House straightened. Kids returned to their rightful owners.
And the book, One Size Fits None, subtitle “A Farm Girl’s Search for the Promise of Regenerative Agriculture, completed. Overall, well written and interesting, though many of the ideas are not all that new:
“When it comes to farmers’ markets, buzzwords like ‘grass-fed’ and ‘local’ might attract customers initially…” but what Gabe is trying to do is convince people to buy his products because of the regenerative agricultural system they represent. “When customers come the first thing they want to know is, where do we come form? Then they want to know GMO or not? That’s number two. Then it’s antibiotics, hormones, and grass finished. What we’re trying to do is sell the whole story. We’re trying to produce healthy food on healthy soils…”
Overnighters
Round two. Ellie, Maddie, and Becca here this afternoon and evening. Baking, office work, a walk through campus with a stop in the Union, dinner prep, office work, puzzles, dinner, office work, reading, bed time.
Overnighters
Baking, waffles, ping pong, jenga, dancing, puzzles, long walk with the dogs, dinner.
And an extemporaneous poem by Katy:
It’s November!
It’s November hot or cold
Sugar or salt or frostbite toes
Fire places always hot
Apple cider stirring in the pot
Pumpkin pies all around
Leaves are falling to the ground
Left over candy from trick or treat
Make sure you don’t make a peep!
It’s November!
With The Boys
Morning spent with Ben and James. And a good part of that time spent at the Oconomowoc Children’s Play Gallery, a big space filled with lots to do.
Of course, every once in a while it makes sense to slow down and look out the window for trucks, which are greeted with great delight when they pass by.
A little before noon we sashayed next door to Roots for lunch (which was devoured).
I think this is the first time we have had extended time with the boys, and I do believe it was great fun for all of us.
Halloween Snowstorm
Near blizzard for much of the morning.
Monster in the park.
Would that be 5 inches?
If we can't think for ourselves, if we're unwilling to question authority, then we're just putty in the hands of those in power. But if the citizens are educated and form their own opinions, then those in power work for us. In every country, we should be teaching our children the scientific method and the reasons for a Bill of Rights. With it comes a certain decency, humility and community spirit. In the demon-haunted world that we inhabit by virtue of being human, this may be all that stands between us and the enveloping darkness. —Carl Sagan
Big Loop
First time this fall, for Pax and me. Chilly weather, but good for a long walk.
Yesterday
Today
Maddie to gymnastics. Sue home. Being the great baseball fans we are, we are watching the world series.
Oh, sNOw
About an inch.
Sue actually spent last night with Jayne, but is at Irene’s tonight. Home tomorrow, is the plan.
Actually enjoying the weather, Pax and I, and we spent a good part of the day outside—going for walks, turning the compost pile, doing a little yard work for Vi, sitting on the back patio, as the light faded, admiring the Canadian hemlock planted three or four years ago and now thriving.
Moving Jayne…
…from one apartment in the facility to another.
Pax and me home by 6, Sue still there, spending the night at Irene’s, and finishing up tomorrow.
Clear By Morning…
…and, after that, a lovely fall day.
And, switching back to yesterday, prior to the Halloween parade, the garden got lightly tilled, incorporating two tightly-packed wheelbarrows full of chopped birch leaves, and then seeded with 5 pounds of green manure cover crop. All in good fun; but if I were here all summer long to tend, cultivate, inter-crop, succession plant, and continually harvest, this little 225 sq. ft. plot of rich soil could provide a whole lot of food.
Halloween Parade…
…in Oconomowoc.
And just as the last float in the parade passed by the rain started tumbling down. Raining hard, here, back in Whitewater. Can only imagine that trick-or-treating in O’wock was pretty much washed out.
Fun In Fox Point…
…and environs, with Will, Katy, and Ab. Music, dance, football, lunch, and a visit to the Shorewood library.
