Lull before Thanksgiving

What a luxury it is to be home and be able to dibble and dabble around the house and camp. Yesterday I cleaned up all my mess in the garage and yard that I made during my garden frame project. My neighbor, Susan Case stopped by to see the frames (her husband Ken drilled the handles), and referred to them as lobster traps. Funny, that's my same first reaction as to what would work on the garden. So, lobster traps they are.  As I watched 'Dancing with the Stars' last night, I planned the first twig table during the commercials. Still have a few unknowns there, but at least we have a starting point when the bad weather hits.

Ah, Grace just hit the window screen in the office. A little tardy this morning, especially for a cold morning. Yesterday in the middle of the afternoon, I was putting the drill away in the basement, and noticed a shadow outside the basement window. As I moved in closer, I saw it was Grace, warming in the last rays of the sun against the brick, cement, and glass of the house. This is one of her favorite spots on a cold, sunny day. Of course, she had moved elsewhere before I made it upstairs to my camera.

Earlier in the day I had taken my camera outdoors to snap a few photos that I had been wanting to share with my friends and family. Having purchased a relatively flat, barren field, we are always amazed at our new layers color and pattern. I love it when the leaves drop, and we see the underlying sculpture of the trees.

Pyracantha berries in the foreground

Years ago I watched an Oprah show about 'spirit trees'. She reported that she goes out and talks to some of her very special trees. After that show I went out and identified several of our biggest trees, and then had Bruce make cutouts into the hedgerow so we could better access those trees. Suddenly, we paid more attention to the highlighted trees, which before had blended into the hedgerow. Below is our biggest oak, actually on Todd's property, and believe me, impossible to capture as a noteworthy tree in its entirety (makes it look very small and unremarkable). Our oaks hold onto their bronze leaves into the middle of winter.

Last night was clear and full moon. During the months of October through February, the moon rises directly in front of our house. On a clear night it is spectacular, something that cannot be observed in the suburbs due to the rooftops. Here the moon is just breaking the horizon of trees, which you can see at the bottom of the rising moon. Happy Thanksgiving to all.