Off the Beaten Path

Even though yesterday was a "gray day" we still took our usual walk. This time we decided to go a little off the beathen path to do some exploring in areas we hadn't yet visited. We turned left instead of heading down our usual trail, and knowing the general area and how the roads ran, where the river was, in what direction the lake was etc. we headed straight into the woods.

We really do live in a beautiful wooded haven. Pine trees reaching high into the sky, maples dropping their varied colored leaves and ferns preparing for winter. My thoughts kept going back to the numerous hours spent playing in the woods and exploring as a child. I loved it then, and I love it now. You never know what's around that next corner, like a bucket hanging on a branch, way out in the middle of nowhere. I think it was there just in case someone like me came along with a camera, which I did. I've learned to pocket the camera for just such occasions.

We came across this beautiful little oak tree. The display of bright red against the browning leaves was brilliant, even for a "gray day."

It's quite obvious that our fall is beyond it's peak but there are still a few trees holding on as long as they can. Although we've already had accumulating snow that lasted a few days before melting; I'm like that tree, holding on to the hopes of a few more warm days to call autumn before succumbing to the wiles of winter.

Snow pics coming soon !

Chickens and Goats

They say that a good fence makes for good neighbors. Well ~ we put up a fence and it changed what used to be a tolerable old neighbor into a cantankerous old fart! The man just won't smile at us any more. Okay, okay ... So maybe it's the way my husband finds humor in staring at him as he tries to back his pontoon into his driveway, or it could be the fact that we put up a fence in the first place because he was treating our yard like his private parking lot. So being the good neighbors that we are, we measured out the limits set by the codes and we proceeded to build a beautiful split rail fence.
Of course this lead to the old codgers curiosity and he quickly sprinted to the best of his ability, to inquire as to what we were up to now and to inform us we were too close to his property... the humor being that we had already measured and knowing where the survey post is buried we were WELL WITHIN our limits. We even left enough room on "their side" of the fence (which is actually still our land) to enable us to use our riding mower on that side. So... back to my naming this post chickens and goats. When the old grump asked "what are you up to now?" I responded "We're going to get some chickens and pygmy goats." I don't know what made me say it but I thought they were going to faint. The way their heads spun around was like watching "The Exorcist!" I was laughing so hard inside, but I was still able to maintain a straight and serious face. My husband fell right into my joke and never cracked a smile ~ at least not within thier view.

Now mind you, WE DO LOVE ANIMALS and we would love to have goats and chickens but although we live on the outer skirts of what we laughingly call the "city limits" we are still within them, so we don't have goats or chickens ~ yet. But we might just check into that a little further and see what limits we can push. I do love my farm fresh eggs, and who can resist those cute little goats?

I woke up this morning snickering to myself after dreaming that when our snow-bird neighbors returned from wintering down south ~ we had chickens and goats. But it was only a dream.

Our Corner of the World

Fall seems to have taken a turn for the worse here in Upper Michigan. We've already seen snow and the cold set in long ago even though we're just now in mid-October. The leaves on our maple tree are green and changing ever so slowly. Leaves are falling off of it but its so much duller than last year due to our cool weather and early frosts.

Our maple tree this year ~

Our Maple tree last year ~

We raked and raked and raked today. Covering the flowers and raised garden beds with leaf mulch before the snows decide to stay. Brr... just too cold for this time of year.

The Scuffle

I've been having a scuffle amongst myself. My mind has such great aspirations but my my body lacks the ambition. Without the get up and go, what good are my ideas? Even in my dreams I'm doing fantastic things and accomplishing all my undone tasks; so why can't I get that burning desire to actually get things done?

Today I'll blame the dreary weather. Tommorrow I'll blame something else.

Maybe if I keep journaling about it, I'll get tired of my own prattling and take action.

So it goes...