First snow of the season

First snow on the red maple. As you can see, not all of the leaves have fallen.

Cat and mouse

It seems that the neighbor's cat has been successful this past week.

 

The mice, on the other hand, did not have a very good week.

I hope it has many more successful hunts on the property. Mice have a tendency to chew on the wiring on the tractors and build enormous nests on the engine manifold or pack in half a bale of straw between the grill and radiator.

Maybe next time, they will bring a few friends.

Life on hold, recovery time

As we are hoping for a speedy recover in our son's recent surgery, I neglected to give him flowers.

Instead, here's a couple of wildflowers from the farm that I'll share with my readers in hopes of brightening up their day and weekend.

(Not sure on the names for these guys - maybe for another day)

Life on hold

Another surgery, another waiting room but waiting is not in my nature.
We've been down this road before and they're now starting on the road to recovery.
Bah, we all want these roads a little less traveled. 

Your hardest times often lead to the greatest moments of your life. Keep going. Tough situations build strong people in the end. -  Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart 

He's one of the toughest I know.

Flowers for the weekend

The harshest winters bring forth the most beautiful flowers.

No matter the troubles that one is going through, keep in mind the beauty that will come out from the other side.

Here are a couple of flowers that I hope will brighten up your weekend.

Red on the hill

Among our prized trees that we planted during 2013 was this red maple that we picked up from one of the big box stores. October is when it turns colors, although this year is a little late.

From 2014

With its deep red leaves to contrast the greens of the valley and drab browns of the grasses on the hill, this tree can be seen from nearly everywhere one can stand on the acreage (provided the walnut trees have lost their leaves.)

Seeing red on the hill is encouraging as it has survived summers of beetle infestations and 20 to 30 below winters. The droughts of 4 of 6 summers didn't help either.

This tree is a survivor.

Picture from this year as it begins to turn colors.

When doubt creeps in, I look at the top of the hill and I can renew my thoughts that we are doing the right thing. This will give us seeds in a few years and help supply our next plantings. A single renewable resource that has the potential of tens of thousands of additional trees.

About 10 yards up the hill is The Stranded Tree and I will celebrate when branches from these two trees will meet. (If I am still alive, of course.)

Tree quotes

"Someone is sitting in the shade today because someone planted a tree a long time ago." - Warren Buffett

"A man doesn't plant a tree for himself. He plants it for posterity." - Alexander Smith

“Remember that it is not the number nor the length of its branches, but the depth and health of its roots that is the strength of a tree.” - Gustave Thibon

"Love is flower like; Friendship is like a sheltering tree." - Samuel Taylor Coleridge

During bouts of doubt and discouragement, I fall back on better men and women who expressed themselves in words. Words that sometimes escapes me and take solace in their wisdom.

Tis the season

Hunting season, that is. Pheasant and deer seasons are beginning soon and it's time to wear appropriate colors:

I'm not hunting today but I don't want to have a near-sighted hunter mistake me for a deer cutting the grass. Blaze orange is in this time of year.

Friday is buck day, October buck

It may not have a large rack, but it makes up for it with a large neck and shoulders. This is a pretty good sized buck.

Morning Lament

This morning brought rain (again) as storm clouds stretched from west to east. But the sun breached the gap between earth's horizon and darkened rain-swelled clouds illuminating the valley in golden light.

The light of the eastern sun reflected orange to pink sky and from pink to grey in the clouds, continuing on darker across the sky until almost black in the west.

It was a colorful morning. But the color did not last long as the sun began to slip behind the clouds. A hard rain obscured its final minutes as the clouds finally covered its light. The rain fell harder as the rays were extinguished and muted for the day.

As the light faded I filled with regret as I reminded myself of missed sunrises and sunsets, of missed opportunities in nature or in our lives. But I realized that I nearly missed the moment of today's sunrise. I was filling my head with thoughts of the past and not of the present.

Luckily, I kicked myself in my mind and started to appreciate where I was. Ignoring the rain, I watched as the last sunbeams faded from sight behind the clouds and hoped for more sunrises to come.