Clear and Cold

As tomorrow is the first of December, I've been looking at the charts I might stitch.  Once again I am going with a reindeer theme - though this year a Christmas owl or two might sneak in.

We had several cold nights with morning lows of 18°F. 

Everyone was hungry on a cold, frosty morning.

The Oregon Juncos puffed up against the cold.

It's nice to have some natural down to act as insulation.

Cold mornings = Clear Blue Skies

One morning I was treated to a skein of 75 or so Canada Geese.

I played with the settings on my camera and switched over to "sports".

The setting allowed me to zoom in and capture a shot or two without the blurs that movement often causes.

I loved how the morning light played off the birds.

As a grade-schooler, one of my favorite books was "Black and Blue Magic" about a boy who could fly.  I was totally enamored with the premise and still am!

Cold Critters

I wonder if it makes the bunny's teeth ache to munch on frosty grass.

Do his feet get cold?

"What do you think?, "He replies. 

The deer have nice thick coats.

The fawns even seem to be a bit frisky in the brisk weather.

They are going into the winter fat and healthy.

And apparently munching on frost-covered grass is not an issue.

"Seriously?, she says!

Very Cold and Frosty

Even though we have had several cold frosty nights dipping as low as 19°F,

...the chipmunks continue to greet me in the morning.

I've felt sorry for them, and have been treating them to some peanuts as well as sunflower seeds.

While sunflower seeds are always welcome, 

...peanuts are a special treat.

Yum!

Never eat a sunflower seed...

...when you can be eating a peanut instead!

I think you should be sleeping away during this cold weather. 

The Day After

I hope no one had quail for dinner yesterday!

Happy Thanksgiving

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Thanksgiving 1959

This is a photo from my first Thanksgiving.  

I know I have much to be thankful for this year.

Take a moment to count your many blessings.

Further Frost

Our weather is changing and getting colder. We are to have lows of 24-25F the next three nights.  

Let's take a walk before the temperatures drop!

It is a frosty morning. Do you have your scarf and mittens handy?

This has been a good fall for mushrooms.

Even blackberry leaves are pretty when frost-covered.

Frost can turn the grass into a miniature alien forest. 

It adds a crisp white edge to the hazel leaves.

And turns last year's fern fronds into things of beauty.

Frost serves to accentuate the smallest of details.

And stops your eye at things you might not otherwise notice.

Beauty is in the most ordinary of objects.

The Tuesday Before Thanksgiving

Design - "Thanksgiving Sampler" (kit)

Designer - Heart in Hand

 Fabric - 32 count Clay Belfast linen

Fibers - GAST & WDW - 2 strands over 2 threads

Started - 16 November 2011

Completed - 20 November 2011

As I do not have any stitching progress to share, let's take a look at a stitch from the recent past. So many different things are demanding my attention - my time to stitch has contracted to next to nothing. 

One of those things has been getting to all my late fall / early winter gardening chores.  As you can see we've had a hard frost.

The zinnias which were once so bright and cheery...

...are now brown and done for the year.

Many of the plants in the mudroom flowerbed including the Black and Blue Salvia were killed by the frost.  The pink salvia on the left is still hanging on much to the delight of my Anna's Hummingbirds.

And on the trellis on the back left, the winter clematis "Wisley" has just begun to bloom. 

Besides finishing off many of the tender annuals, a hard frost can be lovely too. Here it serve to perfectly delineate the leaf pattern of this fern. 

The verbena bonariensis is another annual that is done for the year.

I will let the plants stay as the finches will pick them over for any stray seeds.

The frost added texture to this mullein.  

And look at how pretty this new Japanese maple is!

This young tree will have pride of place at the front of our house.

With a cold spell coming up mid-week I am so glad that my mother and I were able to get everything put safely away and protected.  Thanks Mom!