the season is freezin'

 The season is moving along with the usual weather ambiguity!  We had endless freeze and steady snow...

The wild animals took it in stride!

Then suddenly, it was 70 degrees.  Still took a couple of days to melt the snow...

It made some gorgeous fog.

Warm enough to get out and hike, even with a bit of residual ice!

Crazy to still see some green under all that snow.

August and February are my least favorite months.  August for the swampy heat and humidity, and February because...I love cold weather all through fall, through Christmas, and January has great snow.  February is the cold, bare, bleak stretch between the cozy winter snow of January and the new green shoots and warmer days of March.  But it's nearly over, and the snow helped a lot!

So did the pets.

 Definitely good company!

sleeping with the enemy

 The warm weather continues to confound.  The grass remains green...and growing.

Flowers are still blooming...

...but I don't dare pick them, since there are still a few bees, wasps, and flies around.

Spiders too!  A week away from December!

crab spider on garden gate

Perennials are LOVING this warm/cool cycle.  My perennial garden is full of green...coral bells, mint, lemon balm, coneflowers, lambs ear...so strange.

Still some pretty leaves, too.

We're still seeing plenty on our trail cams.  Big bucks...

Sleepy does...

...and active coyotes.

The cats are missing the big players but keep an eye on the birds, at least, through every window.

Most of the time.  They need a lot of rest...wherever.

The Barnacle on a pile of clean laundry

Even near (but not too close to) a worn enemy (Calliope), in a surprising show of holiday spirit!

Pepita keeps an eye on everything.

With so many drizzly days, we haven't made it to the park as often...so she gets to hang out in the barnyard.

Silently judging me for not throwing the ball.

She's quite the character, although she has quite a bit of down time too, just like the cats.  She'll be a year old at the beginning of April - she won't be a puppy for much longer!

she almost made it to the bed before collapsing

I'm looking forward to more fun with them all!  :)  They're all so fun, with their own unique personalities...I can't imagine my life without pets.  

Have a great week! 

coyote crazy

 I'm loving all the red berries right now.

honeysuckle

rosehips

burning bush (both)

Boneset is lining our walking path, another sign of fall.

So are shotgun shells...sigh.

Other fall beauties include goldenrod...

...and wild asters.

Pale jewelweed is blooming too.

I loved this plant as a kid.  If you squeeze their seedpods...

...they burst!

No real leaf color yet, other than a few random reds and yellows.

The problem is the rainfall.  Although we've had semi-frequent short sprinkles this late summer, we're at 50% less than normal.  September, normally a really rainy month, had only two rainy days.  Looking ahead for the next week, more temperatures near 90 degrees and no rain.  But mornings and nights are cool and we have atmospheric fog...

...and plenty of dew.

Mornings are chilly, usually in the mid-50s.  I love to open the windows and let the cool air in.  I can't open them at night...coyotes are howling all around us and would wake me up in the night if I didn't sleep with windows closed and earplugs in.

Lots of evidence of them running through our yard on a semi-regular basis...

coyote feces

...and they're showing up on our trail cams, too.

Another sure sign of fall is the return of the brown marmorated stink bugs.

Our screens are COVERED with them and they find their way inside, too, looking for a warm place to overwinter.  They're a big agricultural pest but don't harm humans (other than with their stench if you squash them).  They're always out in force right before it gets cold.

I love this transitional time...lots of cozy baking...

...and stolen moments with a good book!

(never really alone!)

We'll see what early October will bring.  I can't wait!

Have a great week!