Autumn

The Scarlet Oaks along the road turned color in just the past couple of days. The Red Oak S of the old house is a much duller color. The Scarlet Oak S of the old house is on the yellow side. But the ones by the road are gorgeous! Planted too close to the evergreens, of course. I should get in there and mow around them.

Indigo Buntings

Yesterday there were indigo buntings outside the east windows. I first noticed an otherwise unremarkable bird that had a blue chest. I kept looking as it hopped and changed angles, and I wasn't wrong. Then it was joined by one that was blue on top. Definitely not bluebirds -- those have red chests. These were dark blue. I had let the weeds on the east and north just grow, so there must be tons of seeds for the birds. The hummingbirds are around, too. I hope they are eating Japanese beetles, but it wouldn't seem so.

Meanwhile, I have kept the rest of it mowed -- mostly just to the south of the house and down at the mailbox. If I were truly mowing eveything, it would take more than twice as long. This summer I am mowing once a week for about an hour and a half. That's doable.

I'm also planting up the west side, mostly daylilies, and edging the south side of the house with mulched daylilies and bricks. I think I will lay a sidewalk along that, so I can walk past the flowers without having to walk in wet grass. Also it will reduce the mowing by a trifle. I dug up volunteer butterfly bushes from along the edge of the new driveway. I didn't know they self-seeded!

Sunrise at Arrowwood

This morning, through my wonderful kitchen window, I watched the sun peek over the eastern hills a few minutes after 7 am. The sky was clear, the temps in the single digits, and the air and ground were frosty with remnants of Friday night's 4-inch snowfall. I had on GMA, as today is a company holiday (Presidents Day). The sun just showed a gleam as the opening music was ending, and visibly leapt up as Diane Sawyer began the first story. It rises so quickly!