Last Day of November, 2006

It has been in the 80's for the past couple of weeks, but plunged yesterday and last night and there was snow covering everything this morning at 5 AM. I put my next-to-the-last log on the fire, started the coffee, and came back to bed. Maybe when I get up the snow will have melted and it will be 80 degrees again.

The Bittern was circling the pond, getting ready to land just as it was getting dark last night (what a strange looking bird), so he must be spending the season here again. This should get the rest of the outside plants, but the good news is, the greenhouse is still full of ripening tomatoes. The cold does bother them in that the skins are getting tougher, but their flavors are wonderful.

The weather update just come on and we aren't expected to get much above freezing for the next week - 34 is the expected high today and nothing above 45 for the next week. For myself, I'm not sure that I can stretch one log for that far, but the pond and it's inhabitants should pull through just fine.

One Sunday in November

An absolutely beautiful day. It reached the low to mid 70's and there was very little to no wind. The breezeway is still an enchanting little area of greenery.

Friday

I ran the pond over last night, but not a big deal. It was actually helpful with getting the willow branches out of the water. Still a lot of flowers blooming.

Monday Pond

Totally beautiful day. Still plenty of koi visible. The water plants are fading quickly now, but the miniature rosebush by the waterfall and the herbs and flowers in the breezeway are looking very good.

November 11

And the weather is absolutely beautiful. The pond is clear and perfect. I sort of worry about the amount of organic debris that is falling into it (willow leaves, elm leaves, twigs, and the regular pond plants). It will take up to 1000 years to fill the pond with leaves, so I will probably miss that event, or not. I haven't decided.

I love the Weather Surprises

November 8 and it was 81 degrees. Outrageously beautiful and the prairies are stunning. The pond is clear and deep and seem to be resting. The large birds are still around, as are about 10 feral cats and those stupid chihuahuas from down the road. (Okay. Ten feral cats and the chihuahuas that belong to those stupid people down the road.)

Late Fall

I don't think it has dropped below freezing yet. Most of the elm leaves have fallen, but the willows still look like summertime. The days are beautiful and the late afternoons turn out really nice. The pond seems to be slowly falling asleep - lots of butterflies out and the flowers are still blooming along the breezeway. Cashlin (I have been misspelling her name) was watching me from her grandmother's window when I checked the pond earlier.