Fall on the Farm

Hello my friends.  Dayle and I took a drive to town yesterday to get some lunch, go to the bank, the barber, etc.  Upon returning home I noticed that the Pin Oak had turned almost all red.  There is a bit of green left, but once the leaves turn red they then turn a dry brown.  This oak is peculiar in that the leaves can stay on after they turn brown all winter and fall in the spring.  But when they get really big like ours, most of the leaves do fall.  

As I walked to the house I marveled at the flaming beauty of this tree against the blue sky.

Amazing color, isn't it?

The walnut trees behind are turning yellow.  They're funny as all their leaves seem to drop in a day.

The creek has red oak leaves floating on the water.

The hydrangea continues to glow a grape violet color.

Our little creek and waterfalls bring joy all year.

Walking to the house and looking back up into the tree.. the sun illuminating the colorful leaves.

The colors with the sun behind were pretty spectacular.

Zooooom...

Standing on the deck I look back at the barn.. there is smoke in the air.. someone is burning a brush pile.. I'm still enjoying my garden banner of many colors.

One last zoom into the pretty leaves.. soon they will be gone and on the ground and blowing all over the place in the east wind.. and we'll have a long cold dark bleak winter with naked trees to look at.  Not my favorite time of year.

Kristi has found that our wild farm cat Simba likes to curl up on my rattan chair which has feather filled pillows on it.  :-)  But as soon as she goes outside and sees him there, he gets scared and runs away.  So, she took my camera into the craft studio and snuck up to the window and got this image without scaring him.

A nice sunny warm place out of the wind and rain.  This is a nook outside the French doors of my studio.  What you see in red here is the generator we keep on the deck during the winter for those times where we lose electricity.  That thing can really save us during those times.

I've been reading a most interesting book.. it's written about a teenage boy and a corresponding story of a young Pine Marten.. named Martin.  The book was recommended by my friend Shirley.  :-)  I'm about 3/4s of the way through it but am recommending it now as it's been a good and different read.  Google the name and read more about it.  I'm reading on my iPad.  (Edited to add - the story is set on Mt. Hood in Oregon so it's pretty neat as it's "my" mountain.)

The sunshine is back but it's cold outside.. it got down to 39 deg. F and is now 51 now.  I'm so glad we have our pellet stove burning by us.. there really isn't anything better than radiant heat.  

I have in my thoughts two fellow bloggers that have just lost their father.  I'm sending virtual hugs to them both to help them through this difficult time.  

((hugs)), Teresa