The Little Pine...

It wasn’t very long ago
It stood so straight and tall,
And longed to be a Christmas tree
The fairest of them all.
Its every hope through summer months,
Through cold November’s snow,
Was that it might spend Christmas Eve
‘Neath lights that shine and glow.
But then it seemed time hurried by,
It had that dreadful fear,
It mightn’t be quite big enough
At Christmas time this year.
The others, oh so near at hand
Were larger trees by far,
Their tops were much more sturdy
And could hold a bigger star.
At last December first was here
‘Twas such a lovely sight,
And every branch on every tree
Was decked in lovely white.
Folks chose their trees quite carefully
And took them to their homes;
The little pine was very sad,
For now it stood alone.It seemed that everyone who came
Would pass the small pine by;
They wanted one that was large enough
To touch the ceiling high.
A small tree couldn’t hold the gifts,
Nor could its branches hide
The many little packages
They longed to tuck inside.
Until at last a little boy
With eyes so wondrous bright,
Was quite excited by the tree
That stood within his sight.
He loved the lonesome little pine
And nothing else would do,
‘Twas large enough to please his heart
And quite the fairest, too.Now the little pine felt snug and warm
Despite the wind and cold,
So proud to be a Christmas tree
With lights and toys to hold.
A little boy was just as pleased
With Christmas dreams he planned,
And little pine was loved at last
A child could understand.
(Garnett Ann Schultz)It wouldn't be Christmas without Benjamin coming to pick us out a tree...Thank you so much...we are very pleased and this little pine is loved all the more because you picked it out!

Christmas Wreaths...

Our Christmas wreaths
Are fat and round
Made of woodsy things
We found.
We tied brown cones
Upon the green
And stuck red berries
In between.
Upon the wreath
For our front door
We tied red ribbon from a store.
(author unknown)
a little chickadee enjoying some Christmas spirit around the breakfast table...

Woo-Woo

I'm a big red fire truck long and stout,
When I am needed, I roar and shout.
People love to see me rush about,
Just turn me on and head me out.
(elementary school song sung to I'm a little teapot)
One more photo from Bentleyville. This one I took especially for Ryan who loves fire trucks. Santa was riding in the engine up on the rooftop of the Bentley's home. While I did not see any firetrucks..I did see some red lights in my rear view mirror on the way home from Duluth.
The last 3 hours of the trip allowed me to really look at the beautiful countryside at 55 mph.
I thought these horses grazing in a snow covered pasture were worth stopping to take a photo.

What a weekend...

Every year I spend the first weekend of December with my daughter Jayme while Jeff is hunting with his brothers. We usually shop till we drop, then check out the some of the spectacular light displays in the area and then shop some more. This year was definitely different as a snowstorm arrived on Saturday. The shopping was kept to a minimum while we stayed warm in her house and worked on some crafts while 10 inches of snow fell outside.On Sunday evening we ventured out to one of my favorite places to get in the Christmas mood Bentleyville which is one family's private wonderland that they open to the community each year. Here we strolled uptown...
and then downtown and all around the huge site filled with beautiful lighted displays.
We stopped at the cookie house for cookies and hot cider and passed by the smore hut and popcorn house...gazed at a row of lighted houses and...
enjoyed winter park.
There are over 600 snowflakes high in the trees which makes it just magical even when your fingers are beginning to numb.
For more photos check out Jayme's blog. Tomorrow morning it is back to home and hopefully clear roads for the 4 hour drive. If it gets stressful, I will have many wonderful memories to relax me of a wonderful weekend with Jayme & Scott and XM radio "holly" channel playing me Christmas music to sing along too...back to the garden on Tuesday.

the last and the first....

It was definitely cold yesterday! Throughout the day the moving water on the rock started to freeze over so I knew it was time to turn it off. Among the last birds to use the rock for the season was this downy and a sparrow and in the photo below, 3 chickadees and a white breasted nuthatch.
Jeff didn't get home until 6:30, so I bundled up and out we went with flashlights, a torch and an air tank to unhook the pump and blow out the waterlines.
This morning at dawn's first light, the chickadees were the first on the scene looking for water so I brought out the heated dish and one actually came to drink while I was still standing there. Wish I had the camera in my frozen hands but alas I went back inside and took some more shots through the windows.

Here is the new water set up and the remants of yesterday's frozen water flow.

As soon as I stepped away, 3 chickadees and a sparrow moved in so I guess you can say they are the first and the last...

This is November...

Ice on the puddles,
Trees are bare;
Mornings are chilly,
Breath on the air.
Squirrels are still busy;
Where nuts can be found,
Hiding their treasures
In hollows around.
(Harriet Whipple)

This morning is definitely chilly as we woke up to the first 0 degree temp with -15 below wind chill. I am so thankful I don't work outside all day like Jeff does!

This squirrel is one among many that are now visible high up in the bare trees. the problem is this guy has taken a liking to the bird feeders. I can't believe how brave he is getting even coming to the one closest to the house. I guess it is the best place "where nuts can be found".
This is what happens when you forget you hung something on the tree. We have lived here for 26 years and the place was an abandoned farmsite for many years before that. I wonder how long this tree has been growing around this chain...

Sweet Repose...

When lacework on the leafless trees
Is etched on graying skies,
And, with swiftly moving clouds,
November winds arise,

Nature falls asleep. Another
Year comes to a close.
The solemn side of nature reigns
And rules o'er sweet repose.
(Anna Reynolds)
This morning when I went out to refill the bird feeders, the western sky was reflecting pink from the sunrise and the almost full moon was still visible through the grove. I thought it was a pretty sight through the "lacework of the leafless trees"!

I still haven't the heart to turn off the rock as the birds (especially the chickadees) are constantly using it. It will probably be soon as the splashing water is freezing as it falls and the surface of the pond is frozen except for a "volcano" looking opening where the water falls into.

Happy Thanksgiving....

Give me a grateful heart, Lord,
For each small favor granted.
As years unfold, may I behold
Life, still, through eyes enchanted.
Let me find beauty in all things,
Not be too blind to see
The goodness in my fellowman,
That he would find in me.

Let me rejoice in simple things;
I need no wealth to buy
The scent of pine upon the wind,
A burnished copper sky,
Scarlet roses through the trees...
Oh, grant that I may not outgrow
Affinity for these!

Give me a grateful heart, Lord;
Let me be satisfied
When days are less than sunny
And plans lie at low tide.
Life is a sweet adventure
That will lead to who knows where,
So, give me a grateful heart, Lord,
That I may always care.
(Grace Easley)

This Thanksgiving & everyday I am grateful for all things in my life! May you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving.

November...

No shade, no shine,
No butterflies, no bees,
No fruits, no flowers,
No leaves, no birds,
November.
(author unknown)

This quote is not entirely true as there are still lots of birds around. I think the migratory ones have all passed through except for a robin or two that stick around to clean off the last of those dreaded buckthorn berries. This guy still frequents the rock daily.
It amazes me that as cold as the water is, birds still bathe daily. Here a bluejay is enjoying what will be one of the last baths of the season as we will be turning off the fountain and winterizing the waterlines this week. I will put out the heated water dish for drinking but it does not have the room for a good old splishing and splashing bath. Luckily, I have lots of those photos from this summer to share over the winter months.


Where's the Goldie?

Autumn fires...

In the other gardens
And all up the vale,
From the autumn bonfires
See the smoke trail!
Pleasant summer over
And all the summer flowers,
The red fire blazes,
the grey smoke towers.
Sing a song of seasons!
Something bright in all,
Flowers in the summer
Fires in the fall!
(Robert Louis Stevenson, Autumn Fires)




Today was a beautiful afternoon so I worked in the yard. There was some firewood left by the chimenea so I decided to have a fire to use it up. I even threw in some leaves to get the smell of autumn bonfires...that brought me back to my childhood when we used to rake the leaves into piles and burn them.

Smelling that fire made me start thinking...boy, wouldn't a smore be good about now?
The marshmallows were toasted to perfection.
and I used both on one yummy smore...
it was such a gooey and guilty pleasure...
but sure was a great way to spend an afternoon. Autumn fires with smores...it's a good thing!

A long fish story...

"When the bold branches
Bid farewell to rainbow leaves -
Welcome wool sweaters."
(B. Cybrill)

On Tuesday, I heard a cold front was coming in and nighttime temps would be dropping to the 20's. So I decided I better get the fish moved on Wednesday before the pond iced over for the season. Of course, Wednesday was 38 degrees with strong NW winds and I about froze my hands off and today is calm, sunshine & a high of almost 50, go figure!
So at BJ's request this is how I do it. First I gather my tools...a net to scoop out as many leaves as possible (more on that later) and then to capture the fish, a pail to carry them to the garage in and an antique fish spear. Yes, you read that right...an antique fish spear. This is the best tool I have found for grabbing onto all the flower pots and crates that they stand on from the pond. Before I learned to use this tool...I would have to put on waders and wade into the COLD water to lift out plants from their perches before trimming them down and sinking the lillies to the deepest part to overwinter and then discard the annuals. This spear is also used to grab onto and lift off sheets of ice on the years I have ice before capturing all the fish.
Now onto the goldfish...if you remember this post from last April, I put 43 fish into the pond this spring. In June, something got into the pond (we think a racoon since Ruger had one up the electric pole one morning) and soon we noticed fish missing. The 3 favorites I showed on the April post are all gone. I only have 19 original fish left. All the 12" ones are gone as well as all 7 fantails. I imagine it is because the bigger ones couldn't fit under the crates to hide and the fantails were much slower swimmers. I did have a batch of babies from this season and I am still working on catching as many of them as I can but so far only have about 6. More on why they are so hard to catch later but here is their new winter home...a 100 gallon stock tank in my garage. I still have to finish insulating around it and with the makeshift aeration pump it does not ice up except on the coldest nights. It is still amazing to me that they do not eat anything until spring when the water temp will finally be above 50 degrees. Who knew, fish go into a semi-hibernation state?
Now onto why the babies are so hard to capture. The garden and pond are surrounded by giant cottonwoods and guess where the majority of those leaves go? The babies burrow under the leaves at the bottom of the pond and are almost impossible to find! I'll keep trying until ice prevents me...running around with a net and telling those babies if they knew what was good for them they'd let me capture them hasn't helped so far.
It's hard to tell on this picture with the context of my little cabin and the pine tree showing in front of the photo but those cottonwoods are around 65-75 ft tall. I have a real love/hate relationship with these giants. They are so majestic looking and nothing is prettier than seeing them golden in the fall or covered with hoar frost in the winter. But, and that's a big BUT...those leaves all end up in my pond, everytime a stronger wind blows the lawn is covered with small branches and every June they produce a summer snowstorm of cotton flying down. The seedlings are one of the biggest weed problems I have in the summer garden and the cotton clinging to pots in the pond is one medium that string algae loves to grab onto. Let's not even talk about the mess of rotten leaves we clean out of the pond in the spring. But, then again that's where the kestrel's nest, tons of other birds are sighted, and the migrating monarch's cling too...yup, definitely a LOVE/hate realtionship!
If you look closely, or click to enlarge the photo of the cottonwoods look high in the trees just to the right of the pine. All those small black dots are these...I counted six crows.

Sunrise, Sunset...

Sunrise, sunset
Sunrise, sunset
Swiftly fly the years
One season following another
Laden with happiness and tears
(Fiddler on the Roof lyrics)

Since I have received the most comments via email & in person on the sunrise post last week, I thought I would share Tuesday's sunrise and sunset. I meant to post it yesterday but my typing fingers were frozen from netting goldfish all day on the coldest day of the season so far. But that's another long story...
This guy was so thirsty on Monday afternoon he didn't even mind a photo shoot while drinking. I love his reflection in the pond and the last of the yellow mum's reflections on the water.

the Last Dance...

It's the last dance, we've come to the last dance
They're dimming the lights down, they're hoping we'll go
(Frank Sinatra lyrics)

I finally finished the garden clean up yesterday by clearing out the angel garden. The little johnny jump ups are the last blooms standing and the "leave room for angels to dance" sign is on this garden's arbor.

It the last song, they're playing the last song
The orchestra's yawning, they're sleepy I know
They're wondering just when will we leave, but till we leave, keep holding me tight
Through the last dance, each beat of the last dance
Save me the first dance in your dreams tonight
(Frank Sinatra lyrics)

The angels all gathered together...ready for a good long winter's rest in the storage shed after a summer of dancing.
Cleaning up the gardens is a lot of work and I am very grateful for my favorite gardening tool, my Polaris Ranger with a dump box. I am always hauling loads of stuff in it. As you can see, it is Gabi's favorite too. She is the first in the seat and the last to leave (in between hauling loads, she naps on the seat while I pull and trim down plants).
My friend, Mr. Rust Oleum, gave all the hydrangeas their holiday attire. Now, they are ready for Thanksgiving, Christmas & Valentines Day and will be a bright spot in the winter garden.

November Joy...

Now shall I walk
or shall I ride?
"Walk," Pleasure said:
"Ride," Joy replied.
(W.H. Davies)

It got up to 60 degrees yesterday which in MN in November is t-shirt weather. Jeff & I were out enjoying the day doing some fall chores (putting away the patio set, blowing leaves out of the rain gutters) when all of a sudden he says "I should be riding my Harley".
That's all he had to say for me to respond "let's go!" We took a roadtrip along the Minnesota River where the trees have all lost their leaves but lots of the world's oldest rock is showing.

We stopped to admire a herd of buffalo grazing in a pasture. We used to have some in our neighborhood and I didn't realize how much I missed seeing them all the time until we watched this herd a while.
We got back home just as the sun was setting and the sky was getting it's pink glow...November Joy for sure.