Fall clean up in the yard and garden is under way, and we've had a beautiful fall to get things done. It's incredible the piles of leaves that accumulate week after week. Just about the time you think you've made a dent, the wind comes and sets you straight. I guess our motto is, "Rake until you shovel"--snow, that is. No rush, by the way.
While there is a never-ending abundance of leaves, there seems to be a light crop of acorns this year. I'm sure that must mean something. Is it that the squirrels know it's going to be a tough winter and they've already "squirreled" them away, so to speak? Or is it because there were so many last year, which by the way there were, that the trees are taking it easy this time around?
Regardless, here's to a warm welcome to November, one of my favorite months of the year. A month for putting things in order and planning for feasts and celebrations ahead. A month of long and cool evenings for reading or knitting by a fire with a glass of something strong and smooth. A month of soup and stew, squash and pumpkin, breads and pie. A month for settling in.
