Wednesday, November 23, 2016

This is November

We're finally having a traditional November. It's cold and frosty, and the world is rapidly losing its fall colors. But that's okay, now it's time to rest from our garden labors. Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, a day when the U.S. stops for family time and feasting, while remembering to be grateful for our abundance. But it's only this week that it really feels like November. Last week was a different story.






Autumn arrived late this year, and slipped in on cat feet. The weather stayed mostly warm and pleasant, and the flowers stayed for an extra long visit.






There were a few chilly mornings, but the lightest of frosts soon melted away into sunshine. It left us all with plenty of time to complete our fall chores. Leaves were raked up, vegetable gardens cleared away, and bulbs were planted.




At the end of these chores, I was able to rest on the patio with my iced tea as if it was still summer time. Yes, I was barefoot. In November.





But the sad ending was that within twenty four hours, I was wearing my winter coat and gloves, with snowflakes in the air. It was brutal. I've lived my life in Michigan and Ohio, and I'm used to drastic weather changes. And yet that one was especially harsh. So it goes. November is supposed to be cold and drab, but we had fooled ourselves into thinking that winter wouldn't come this year. While we avoided the snowstorms seen in other areas, it was still an unwelcome change.







Since I knew this change was due to arrive, I savored those last warm days. I took pictures, and wandered through the grass barefoot one last time for this year. I marveled at summer flowers still blooming. I picked tomatoes, and had them for lunch. And I wore my flip flops one last time. Now it's time to hunker down and start planning next year's garden with an afghan on my lap and hot tea in my hand. Rest, it's not so bad. And yes, all of these photos were taken in November, in Ohio!





12 comments:

  1. Loved your blog! What a delight! Enjoyed your fall story and the beautiful photographs of your beloved and brilliant flowers - so alive with color! Frame them you must! -Susan

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    1. Thank you so much for visiting my blog Susan! I don't actually frame my garden photos very often, but I do have many of my beach photos framed up in my home. I like beaches even more than gardens. Shhhhhh.

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  2. The rapid change in temperature was a shock to me, too, Robin. You have some beautiful pictures to remind you of the late fall blooms. Hope your Thanksgiving was as wonderful as mine. P. x

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    1. We had a quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving for two!

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  3. Hi Robin, your flowers were so pretty! We are due for a hard freeze soon. Weather in alabama can change quickly from day too day, especially during winter months. We are joking that our drought will be broken by a snowstorm! Summer lasted so long here, too, and fall seems almost lost in transition. But we have had some marvelous weather with mild temps this month, so I am grateful for that. Belated Happy thanksgiving!

    p.s. You asked if I knew Philip of Dirt Therapy. Yes, I had the pleasure of visiting his garden and meeting him, and we still correspond via blog. I am sure his new garden will soon rival the one he had in Alabama.

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    1. The hard freeze took most of my flowers away from me, but nigella and snapdragons are still hanging in there!

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  4. Your autumn blooms are so wonderful Robin. It has been an unusual autumn here on Long Island with mild temperatures all the way through November. We had one morning with our first dusting of snow, a reminder of winter to come, and now it is raining heavily. The last of the leaves are coming down and after the rains, the temperatures will be dropping. We can only dream of spring!

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    1. I did lost most of these to the hard freeze, but it's pleasant once again. What a strange fall it has been!

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  5. It's amazing how long the blooms stayed around this year in the Midwest! Our weather changed drastically overnight, too. No snow yet here though, which I'm thankful for. I'd like a little for Christmas though. ;-)

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    1. I know neither of us are winter and snow fans, but Christmas snow is always nice. If it's not too much...

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  6. Wow! Robin, your November garden was pretty colorful! Good job with finishing garden chores! Our warm weather made me slow down, but now, they promise cold weather, and I need to rush!

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    1. Cold and snow have arrived, but I see I forgot to bring in the patio umbrella! LOL

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