And winter officially begins with our first substantial snow (about 3-4 inches). After a dozen fancy feeders that squirrels can chew right through, we found that this one allows the squirrel to eat only one seed at a time. They’re welcome to eat our seeds but we don’t want to make it so easy that they don’t forage elsewhere as well.
Proving that you don’t need a snow machine to go snowmobiling, we snuck in one last ATV ride for the year up Hoodoo Mountain. Within minutes we hit the snow line and at higher elevations it was a bit challenging but we made it to the frozen communication towers at the top. It was quiet except for the wind that make the adventure feel like we’d made it to the north pole.
Communication Towers on Hoodoo Mountain
Freya's final ride of the season.
Nov. 15th is “D-Day” as in deadline day. If it ain’t ready for winter by today, I’m dead. Yesterday while putting on the final touches in preparation for winter I found this little girl (very likely a queen) hiding in the fold of a rag in the shed.
She’s very much alive but is tucked away for a long winter nap. Unlike a dead bug, her legs are folded downward rather the crinkled up. And her wings are also folded in front of her. Even her antenna are folded down behind her head. I love to see God’s handiwork in his creation.
Living in a forest of conifers made me realize that leaves aren’t the commodity they used to be. So, when the nearby camp had a pickup truck full of leaves that they were going to dump out back, I jumped at the chance to take the leaves up to my garden. And, for the first time in over 5 years, I got to smell that old familiar smell of fall leaves. It brought back a rush of memories. Raking the yard, earning money raking neighbors’ yards, and I’ll never forget climbing on and through the 12 foot piles of leaves at a nearby golf course.
Dad used them as mulch in his garden. And today, I can too. I miss you dad.
Last year, we were given squash seeds for our garden. They never grew. This year, last year’s seeds decided to do their thing. So, randomly in our garden we has squash. Any recommended recipes are welcome!
Once again, I got a fright while working in the yard. I was working in the garden when I notice out of the corner of my eye two large black visitors sitting about 25 yards away. Yikes. These two may be two feet taller than a horse, but I’m certain they can walk around on their tippie toes when they want to sneak up on you. No doubt they were laughing when they saw my face. It’s a real blessing to think that that creatures like these meese enjoy lounging in our yard as much as we do.
