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!