Although there were predictions of 9-12 inches of snow, I think this snow was a fairly decent 6 inches. And absolutely lovely.
The inside kitties have been snuggling into nice warm spots like this little Claribel.
December 2021 Snow
November 2021 birds and a morning moon
The herbs are still holding up in the midst of the beginnings of brown. I made lentils and beets with fresh mint and was delighted to still have fresh mint to use in it.
The birds were having a lovely time in the trees and bushes and a morning moon was particularly lovely.
The pair of cardinals have been around quite a bit. And they are lovely. Such a great splash of red.
And here is a lovely picture of Cara, just to round things out.
November 2021 autumn garden
There was some snow here in these upper plains, and then some strong wind, and then a little rain. All of which means there is no snow here right now and the garden is struggling on in its odd autumnal state. Bits of color from drying blooms still show through but the yellows and browns are starting to prevail. In the mornings, the temperature has been hovering around 38-40F (about 4C). Although it did get to about 60F one day this last week (15C): unseasonably warm for this late in November. These temperatures mean that the plants are all easing into winter.
Some of the monk’s hood (above) still has its lovely color, while some of the stalks are blackened and done. The purple cone flower heads (below) make such dramatic stalks.
November 2021 kitties in the garden
Here is a good sense of what the outside kitties have been getting up to. The long autumn is probably coming to a bit of an end here –there is a chill in the air and rain/snow in the forecast for later in the week. Before that happens, these kitties are having a lovely time in the dry leaves and sunshine.
Sidney, looking svelte.
November 2021 yellowing hostas
The hostas near the back patio are particularly yellow this fall. It might be because the autumn has been so amazingly long.
The variations in the yellow, gold, and green are astounding, but I don’t think the pictures will really capture it.
October 2021 a quick visit to the river
I am posting some pictures from a really lovely afternoon visit to the river. We took tea and sandwiches and had a very lovely time in the gusty weather. It was sunny and felt like fall. There still hasn’t been a solid freeze here yet so everything is continuing on.
October 2021 late fall blooms
As the weather gets ever closer to the nighttime frost, the blooms continue to claim the above freezing time. Here are several things that are still going in the garden.
These cosmos seeds grew into plants so late I was convinced they wouldn’t make it to blooming. But they have just started.
The walnut trees are blazing with turning leaves.
The yarrow has had a second life. I had cut it back as it died off in the heat of August. But now it is fully back and even blooming again.
The roses are showing no signs of recognizing the coming frost.
October 2021 visit to the studio
When in New Mexico, I was visiting the painter Paul Trachtman, you can see his work on this website. His studio is a wonderland of works–and objects. I took some pictures on this visit hoping to give a sense of the amazing energy of the studio.
October 2021 roses and the edge of cold
It is 15 October and no frost so far here in southeastern South Dakota. I think leaving any of the house plants outside past this weekend will be tempting the chilling gods to come out and nip at the plants. I still have tomatoes producing new fruit… always such a wrench with the end of the season. The dahlias are still doing really well. But what greeted me most effusively (aside from the cats) when I returned home was the pink rose in the front of my house. It has five open roses on it.
October 2021 New Mexico visit
I had a quick trip to New Mexico to spend time with friends and it turned out that the timing was perfect for gorgeous fall color. Here are few quick images…. more soon.
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