Leaves stuck to a damp deck on a foggy morning are common in the fall. It could be worse; wind often blows the bigger maple leaves up onto the deck, but there weren't many, if any, on this morning. The driveway just below is another story.
It's a chilly 7ºC (about 45ºF) out there this morning. That's why it's called Novembrrr. It's time to start thinking about bringing plants in for the winter.
This branch on one of our maple trees lost its leaves before all the others. It's covered in lichens, but so is the rest of the tree. Mystery? Or just one of nature's little quirks?
I've reached the point in my life where I'm tired of cleaning up fallen leaves. The lawnmower mulches them, but I've finished with mowing for the season. The last few years, I've been leaving the leaves on the ground over winter. They mostly mulch themselves and what's left get pulverized when I start mowing again in the spring. I've learned the hard way not to leave the leaves (haha) in the driveway over winter. They're a mess to pick up after they've semi-mulched themselves into our gravel driveway. I'll pick some dry weather days to blow them onto the north forty. We got a leaf blower last year thanks to a nice store credit that came with a sale when we bought our riding mower.
This photo didn't turn out as I expected. It was before sunrise and there wasn't much light. But I only took two of this view. Here's the better one.
We had wind and rain a good part of the day on Saturday. A lot of leaves blew off the trees and now cover the ground. There are still a lot of leaves on the trees, but I can now see more and more bare branches out there. Ah, autumn.
Yesterday was a little breezy and the leaves on our maple trees were tumbling down. There are still a lot of leaves on the linden and other trees, but not for long. Soon the browns and greys of winter will take over. Meanwhile, we're enjoying the show.
Here we are, the first of November. The two-weeks-long All Saints holiday ends on Monday and the kids go back to school. The next school vacation is for Christmas, starting on the 20th of December, ending after the new year.
I'm enjoying watching the Paris Masters tournament on tv, the last of the Masters 1,000 series (nine tournaments through the season) at its new venue at La Défense. It's the last tournament in the Men's tennis season before the championship final in mid-November.
I know that Ken already posted photos of this recent meal. But here it is again in case you missed it. A delicious omelette aux épinards (spinach omelet) and air fryer frites (French fries).
Here's an added bonus! Can you see Tasha in the picture? Where there's food...
Yesterday's sunrise was quite dramatic. I took this photo just as the sun was rising over the horizon. Tasha and I were on our morning walk. If you look closely, you might recognize the Lone Poplar on the left.
There's not much going on here as we slide toward winter. The days are getting shorter, of course, and the weather, while not really bad, is wet and on the chilly side. On the positive side, we're enjoying and planning more fall/winter type menus for our daily lunch. Coming soon: choucroute garni (sauerkraut with meats and vegetables)!
I think that the vineyard leaves are at their peak right now. Bear with me while I post some more fall colors.
Way out back I saw this morning that many sections of woodland have been cut. The trees and other vegetation are lined up on the ground where pines and oak stood just the other day. I wonder what's going on. New vineyard space? Just a regular periodic cleaning up? I didn't take any photos, but I will. Stay tuned.
