Fall progresses, nearly two-thirds done by the calendar. The vineyard parcels out back have lost most of their leaves and the deciduous trees are not far behind.
We're expecting a storm to blow in around mid-day. Some gusty winds and rain are predicted, so it will be an indoor day for us, except for taking Tasha out for her walks.
A month ago, I posted a photo of a fusain (common spindle) berry and mentioned that the actual seeds inside are a bright orange color. Now the seed pods have opened and the orange seeds are visible.
I started moving that mulch on Friday, but my back started getting sore, so I had to stop at twelve wheelbarrows full. That's not too bad, but there is a lot more to move. I'll try to do some more today. And maybe take some photos when the progress is more impressive.
The nuts have dropped from the lone walnut tree out on the vineyard road, and some critters are enjoying them. I saw this walnut cracked open on the ground. Most of the nut "meat" was gone. I wonder if it was a bird that was able to peck open the shell or some other animal. The nuts on this tree are generally too small to be tempting, although I've seen one of our former (now deceased) neighbors walk out and gather some from time to time.
You'll be happy to know that I overcame inertia and raked the leaves out of the driveway yesterday. I took five wheely-bin loads of leaves out to the garden plot and dumped them on. It's an annual ritual that I don't look forward to, but it sure feels good when it's done.
Most of the leaves have fallen from the two large red maples in front of our house. A lot of them collect on the driveway. It's time to rake them up. That's what we're planning for this morning if the weather cooperates. It was raining a little when we got up.
The raked leaves will either go into the compost or onto the vegetable garden plot. I still have that big pile of mulch to move, too. That will get spread over the vegetable garden plot soon. I hope.
Here's a view looking westerly from the den. The view was opened up earlier this year when we had a big spruce tree taken out. The tree was too close to the house, too crowded between the tilleul and a Himalayan cedar and, most importantly, it was dying. I'm glad not to have the needles raining down on the roof and gutters.
This morning we're under heavy fog. I went out in the dark with Tasha (so she could do her business) and everything was very wet. My flashlight showed the air thick with tiny droplets, like a lighthouse beaming out through a thick brume. I could hear a rhythmic dripping from the trees as an owl hoo-hooted from the woods on the north side of the fence. Tasha was quickly done and we headed back indoors.
Here's the view from our deck out across the road to our neighbors' property. The neighbors (who live in Blois) have spent the summer and fall doing a lot of trimming and pruning and other landscaping work in their large yard. It all looks very different from what we were used to, but good nonetheless. They often come down with their kids, grandkids, and friends and spend hours working in the yard.
Now, however, while we're under confinement, they're not able to come down for a while. At least for the next few weeks. We'll see if the confinement gets extended after that. You might notice that our hedge has a rather large gap in it. That's where some of the branches recently died. I asked the landscaper to cut the dead wood out. He said the hedge will come back from the roots and fill in the space. That will probably take a few years.
It's not quite warm enough to enjoy sitting out there for any length of time, but the deck does offer some nice views this time of year. It's not too cold to grill, though. On Sunday I grilled a steak for lunch. While grilling, I noticed that the light was particularly pretty. We had a light overcast that diffused the sunlight and made the golden leaves look even more golden.
I got the camera out and snapped a few quick shots from the deck on the east side of the house and from the den window on the on the west side. I'll post a few over the next days.
