Hi everyone. Happy T day to all the lovely ladies who join in, and if you're not a T day lady, happy start of the week to you also.
Last week was another nice week. Other than it getting dark so early now , I do like these relaxing November days, but then I'd guess they are relaxing because it does get dark so early.
We had some beautiful late autumn weather in the middle and the end of last week. I went for a couple of walks. One of them was on a nearby rail trail with a friend. We saw a bald eagle and some hooded mergansers (the hooded mergansers were new birds for me), but I didn't get any photos of them. The sun was hitting these mallards just right though so you could see the beautiful green on one of the drakes' heads.
Some years in the fall water level is dropped at local lakes so shoreline work can happen. Lake Wentworth is along the trail, and it's really low right now. Usually you wouldn't see any of those brown islands or dirt along the shoreline.
Last week I also raked, but of course on Saturday it rained and brought more leaves down.
I don't really mind a few more leaves coming down because, if for some reason leaf raking season is over, the bulk of the leaves have been cleaned up. It seems no matter how leaf free one makes the yard in the fall, there are still leaves in the spring. My raking philosophy is get the majority of them but don't be too fussy how perfect it looks.
I'm not sure I'm that happy about the hole this one has dug in one of my flower beds though.
And so much for getting any help from these 2. I think it was late morning nap time in the sun. 😏
I harvested my brussel sprouts also. I wish more of them had gotten a little bit bigger, but they still taste good. Next year I am moving them into a different spot and see if that helps with their harvest size.
We also closed up the screen porch this past weekend. 😒 My husband put up some plastic panels, then all the yard bits were brought inside, as you can see in this next photo. Finally he put a big sheet of plastic over the door. It will be March before he takes the door plastic off, and probably April or May before we open up the porch.
I showed you this photo last week, and my pile hasn't changed one bit.
But my Icelandic sweater has made some progress.
It's time to wrap up this post, and I need a drink photo to qualify for T this week over at Bleubeard's and Elizabeth's blog . Here's my Diet Coke from this past Saturday morning. My husband and I went out early to get some vaccine jabs, and afterwards we went to a restaurant called Brickstones for breakfast. It's not a bad place for breakfast, not quite as good as our favorite hole in the wall breakfast place, but we had a decent breakfast (which I forget to take a photo of.)
Have a great T day and for those you who celebrate Thanksgiving, I hope it's a really nice day for you. Enjoy your week whether you celebrate Thanksgiving or not.
24 comments:
...Saturday we went to the park and see mallards and saw Cephalanthus-buttonbush like in your first picture.
Your garden will thank you if you let a few leaves remain on the flower beds to keep them a bit warmer when the weather gets really freezing cold. At least that's what I understand: maybe it's just an excuse for those of us who don't feel compulsive about cleaning away every leaf.
best, mae at maefood.blogspot.com
I am loving your sweater! That pattern looks so complicated.
Those mallards certainly are beautiful. How fun to see such wildlife on a daily basis.
I loved that you shared the Brussel sprouts. I didn't realize they grew like that but it makes me want to try growing them.
Happy Tea Day,
Kate
Neat to see the brussels sprouts like that! Lovely knitting and what would we do without diet coke.
Late autumn walks and spotting a bald eagle and hooded mergansers sound like wonderful moments! Raking leaves might be a never-ending task, but the joy of harvesting brussels sprouts is a tasty reward. Beautiful photos of nature and dogs too.
Happy T Tuesday!
Homegrown brussel sprouts are really cool. Can't wait to see when you finish the sweater.
Beautiful, sunny pic of the ducks!
Oh, boy, all the leaves! Glad the city takes care of theirs...
Aha?
Now I feel like in the joke where they state kids thing fish fingers grow on trees. I had truly no idea Brussels Sprouts grow like this (please tell no one).
Really!!! I am... bummer.
Buhuu on closing down the screen porch. really too cold to use? Even if you cuddle up with a cuppa in hand?
Yay to the sweater. Looks beautiful.
Now I´m hungry (and that´s waiting is a salad) - Happy T-Day, hugs
What a lovely walk along the lake. Here water levels are a record low because of the drought. Usually it rains in November but we’ve had nothing but sunshine. Of course that is nice for me, but not good for the land. We haven’t had proper rains for a few years now.
I love your Icelandic sweater and am slightly envious too. It’s beautiful.
Congratulations on harvesting sprouts. I bet they were very tasty.
Leaves on the ground? I’m sure that’s good for lots of little creatures that we don’t normally take notice of. Keep it natural.
Happy Tday,
Lisca
Hallo again, happy T-day.
Not much water in the lake....as it is in several regions of the world.
Brussel sprouts- I like them but you get them seldom in restaurants. An my dearest does not like them. In german brussel sprouts wordly translated are different vegetables.
Have a good time and all the best
Violetta
https://naturpurfotos.blogspot.com/2023/11/korsika-die-reise-teil-7.html
I have missed so many of your posts and hang my head in shame. I tried to catch up, but I am woefully behind.
I mulch my leaves with a mulching mower, but I understand your concern about the oak leaves, which I had no idea about before. It's always sad when you have to close your porch, but the heavy and hard work is finished for this winter.
The smaller the sprouts, the more tender they are, at least from what I heard on a cooking show recently.
Your sweater is coming along nicely. This looks like a very complicated pattern. I suspect you will be glad to have it finished and get lots of complements wherever you wear it.
Love diet coke. No sugar, no calories. Thanks for sharing your walk at the lake, your sweater, closing the sun porch, and your diet coke with us for T this Tuesday, dear Erika. Happy Thanksgiving to you, too.
Hi Erika, love the ducks, that green is so vibrant. It's too bad you can't train the doggies to rake the leaves, a bit like digging sort of. Have you eaten any of the sprouts yet? Mine are still growing, but it was 3C today so I might have to pick some. As we speak I am still waiting for my new appliance delivery so once that is out of the way I can get out to the garden. I also have raking to do, from someone else's tree that has dumped a huge amount of leaves in my garden. I'd like to use them for mulch but not where they are currently. Your jumper is coming along nicely! Just today I saw a pattern on youtube for a crochet jumper and I am thinking about it... Happy T Day! Elle xx
The riverside view is amazing
Yes indeed, the falling leaves are a never ending story...lol. Love your sweater project -- wonderful color combination. Happy Thanksgiving to you as well!
I don't have any trees on my balcony, but it's still full of leaves! Nice to see your dogs, the look happy and can dig nice holes! Glad the brussel-sprouts were tasty. And your photos were wonderful, as always, mallards aways have such beautiful colours! Hugs, Valerie
Gorgeous shot of the ducks, Erika. I have a bit of the same philosophy about the leaves, just want my walkway between the front door and mailbox clear outside so I don't slip and fall. And it reduces tracking them inside, ugh, that's the real downside for me. Yard guy came last Thursday the 16th and now can't even see the grass anymore because of the leaves that have fallen since. Happy Turkey to you! XOX
Lovely views on your walks.
Your location gives you a wealth of leaves. I favor leaving them, but at your house you'd soon be swallowed lol and wood decks and stairs don't fare well under piles of leaves.
Happy T Tuesday!
Wow all of these wonderful photos. You do have lots of leaves and sometimes just getting outside to rake is a fun thing. Your dogs look pretty happy. I am so impressed with the brussels. I just can't get them to grow here. Well done my friend. Interesting that since I have been down on my foot I have been drinking diet coke too. It is so fizzy and refreshing. Have a lovely day today.
hi Erika!
Just hubby and i for Thanksgiving this year... but with the Grandlittles moving close it may very well be our last year of a quiet Holiday...lol.. and thats okay too.. Sometimes change is good.. We have no trees... literally no trees.. But i raked plenty of leaves in my childhood... AND jumped in them! Your doggies are too cute!! Happy T day! Hugs! deb
This looks like a beautiful walk - I assume the water is so low because you didn't have enough rain? I can relate to that - this was the first year in a very long time that we finally had enough water. I hope it stays like this, but I'm not very optimistic.
I love your sweater. That is a lot of color stranding, but it will look so beautiful. I actually prefer knitting sweaters in the round since I don't like the sewing at the end. Of course the project gets heavier the further you get.
I do like your raking philosophy. It doesn't hurt to leave a few leaves on the ground, even though I understand that you have to rake oak leaves. I let my leaves just on the ground, but then I don't have oak trees. Only closer to the house do I rake them because of wildfire danger. My neighbor has a huge, very old Coast Live Oak, but those leaves are much smaller than the ones in your pictures, and probably stiffer as well.
Have a happy Thanksgiving, Erika, and a great week.
Love your picture of the mallards. We have hooded mergansers at the aquarium where I volunteer; they are very shy even though they've been in the aquarium for many years.
Thanks for sharing the picture of your brussel sprouts. I had no idea it looks like that.
Happy Thanksgiving!
How interesting to see how Brussel sprouts grow. You can attack your pile a little at a time now that the cold weather and snow will be upon us. Sounds like your area is getting snow tonight/tomorrow. The colors you chose for your sweater are so pretty. Happy T Day
Boy, you know that winter is coming on when the porches close. We had that nice weather, too. It was such a gift. (Today rain and 45 all day was not such a gift!). Love seeing the dogs!
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Looks as if the weather was kind when you went out walking, seeing those birds must have been a bonus to you.
I remember the first time i saw sprouts growing I wondered what on earth they were but now we buy them like that at the greengrocers some times.
Glad to see Miss Maddie after her accident, I take it she is fully recovered.
Hugs, Neet xx
I love the view out over the lake! We've noticed how the leaves are now falling so fast yet there are still some trees that have such beautiful leaves that will fall later so you are right not to be too fussy about getting every leaf up! Your sweater is coming along well! Closing your porch up must be quite a task to make it weatherproof! Loving the idea of breakfast out! Enjoy your sprouts- one of my favourite veggies. Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx
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