Almost to mid-season

The Better Half [BH], while we were walking the dogs this morning, noticed a flock of five swans at about treetop height. They were silent and I, who was not next to BH at the time, never saw a thing. Seeing them would have been wonderful. Seeing them with my camera ready to shoot, even better. That gives me one more thing to still look forward to. I have many pictures of swans on the water. None of them in the air.

some fancy pumpkin carving

Photo by J. Harrington

We’re but a weekend away from Halloween. So far, we’ve not had any creative pumpkin carvers, but there’s still some time. About a week after the big H, we’ll be halfway through autumn and well on our way to Thanksgiving. Despite all the trials and tribulations in today’s world, I’m hopeful that we’ll have much to be thankful for and that between Halloween and Thanksgiving we’ll enjoy more treats than tricks.

This morning I cleared lots of leaves from the stoop and the garage doors. There are still many, many leaves on the trees around the house. As usual at this time of year, it’s a contest of whether I’ll get leaves cleared before they’re covered in several inches of snow. Wet leaves clog up the snow blower so we often just drive on and compact the snow until there’s a coating of an inch or so, which turns into ice next March. That’s an element of phenology I’ve become too familiar with. I’m less familiar with when pollinators and others head for the leaf piles to overwinter. If anyone has good information on the critters lurking in the leaves all winter, please share in the comments.

Halloween Is Coming

© Fiona Halliday

Creeping, crawling creatures scurry in the night,
Rats and bats and spiders, nibble, out of sight,
Don’t look too carefully,
You’ll get a nasty fright!

Monsters in the bathroom, witches in the hall,
Hairy beasts and demons climbing every wall,
You won’t want to catch them,
When they start to fall!

Vampires’ stealthy footsteps cross the wooden floor,
Werewolves howling fearfully, beyond your kitchen door,
Don’t look outside now,
You won’t want to find out more!

Zombies with their wild eyes and their soulless grins,
Skeletons with their bony cheeks and their missing skins,
Listen for their rattling sounds,
But do not let them in!

Halloween is coming, what a scary night,
Ghosties, ghouls and goblins dancing in the light,
Here they are all coming now, feel the spooky beat,
If you listen, hear ‘em shout:

“TRICK OR TREAT!” 

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