choosy cats and those who chomp rats...

I have been marveling about the fact that it is NOVEMBER, and some of my flowers still look pretty nice.

Then, poof!  Our first dusting of snow, and really punishing temperatures in the 20s, and they're gone for the year.

I don't mind.  I'm glad to have a long break from the constant watering that came with our relentless late-summer dry spell, and I like the beautiful spiky frosts.  Some flowers maintain their basic shape in winter, like coneflowers, which will provide some "winter interest" and seeds for birds when others sources are scarce.

The snow provides a beautiful contrast to our remaining fall color.

The fields look like they're some kind of fancy iced dessert, and the bushes look dusted in diamonds.

Have a look at any of these juniper-type bushes in the summer, and you'll probably see webs.  They're home to the cup and doily spider, who you probably won't see, as they're less than a quarter-inch in size.  They make a bowl-shaped web that is suspended over a flat one (the "doily").  The spider hangs out on the underside of the bowl, biting its prey, and they fall through onto the doily, which catches them tidily.

These turned into little bowls of snow during the last storm!

Another consideration during the colder weather:  Claudia, Leonidas, the fox-eared kitten, and any others who might be caught out.  We have a heated house on the front porch, but Todd also made a Rubbermaid house...double-layered, insulted, with a nice wood chip base.  Everything is ready for cozy habitation, but so far, no one will use them.  It's a little frustrating, but maybe when it gets colder, they'll look more attractive to our fussy felines.

Meanwhile, our gaggle of gnashers has grown. This is Trey Snouty, so named for Todd's least-favorite former senator, Trey Gowdy.

He comes a few nights a week to finish off Claudia's leftovers.  Possums eat ticks, rats, mice, and take care of carrion.  They haven't bothered our garbage and are generally quiet and helpful neighbors.  He's welcome here!

Another midnight rambler is this skunk.  Skunks eat grubs and mice, but we'll have to be careful for when we have chickens.  They adore eggs.

I'm happy to see that some of our groundhogs are still around, living under the dirt floor of the animal barn and frolicking in the barn yard on a regular basis.

He'll hibernate, while skunks and possums will still be active on warmer winter nights.  We've still got plenty of warm(ish) and sunny fall days, with fall color in the back  yard...

...and sun-loving cats on my desk.

We'll see how things change over the course of the month.  Have a great week!