SNOW DESCENDED

cold, camouflaged whippet (viburnum on left, sciadopitys verticillata behind)
sunflower heads, ungainly ornaments
potager - day
potager - night

GUESS WHAT WE DID TODAY?

not the best photo i've ever taken, but i'm happy with our tree this year...the leaded window in our dining room is one of the nicest things about our house... this year i put the candle village there (from pottery barn, maybe 5 years ago.) you can see the north garden through the window, the Heritage River birch in the middle, and the winter berries on the right. i was close when i took the photo, so it is distorted.

FIRST SNOW

last night we had our first snow, wet with huge conglomerates of flakes... the neighbors behind our house...the potager...
our spruce, which is around 20 feet tall... i was up on the extension ladder trying to fling the lights over the top of the tree with the tree pruning pole. not the smartest thing i've ever done... hubs held the ladder... we survived and the tree got lit.
the potager early this morning... the sugar snap peas are still going strong and i ate one yesterday. we've got some sub-freezing temps on the way, though...

PAPER WASP NEST

i found this paper wasp nest in the driveway this week...

AFTER THANKSGIVING

i hope you all had a happy thanksgiving... we have much to be thankful for...

things are strange this november in zone 6b... there are some sure signs of winter... the hakone grass is turning colors...
but look, echinacea blooms! (sundown)
(coconut lime)
the deciduous holly 'winterberry' is aglow with fruit...

the ferns have turned...
but the sugar snaps are thriving! (this one in front of the ruddy bald cypress)

here was the thanksgiving harvest... not much, but i'm surprised to have anything at this late date.
here are the herbs i grew... i'm surprised we still have parsley, but we have not had a killing frost.
sunset from a week ago framed by tulip poplar...

PAST PEAK

what a beautiful day it was today! i've got a mishmash of photos, as this is such an in-between season. below is the tulip tree reflected in the bird bath...and tulip trees in front of a nice sunset today...
i started working on the holiday lights in the potager... what do you think so far?
view from the kitchen window...
see what i found while was working on the potager? it's been so warm that my bulbs are up already! these leaf tips will likely get frost burn...
the bald cypress has almost turned rusty red... we usually have our first snow when it's all red...
the school fields fenced by weedy norway maples across the street...
hope you had a warm day too!

BATHING SPARROW

before we get to the bathing sparrow, i caught this pair of male house finches drinking this morning. i'd never seen one before (thanks for the correction, MR.) i thought my eyes were deceiving me! the bird action was so fast that i was not able to get the correct camera settings before shooting this...i think i'll take a bath...
what a warm, beautiful day, the water temperature is perfect!



i think i'm clean now...
hey, wait...
are you spying on me?
(that sparrow was spinning so fast that my camera only stopped the water droplets! that's fast!)

FIRST FROST

it finally happened, jack frost visited. not a killing frost, though... echinacea 'coconut lime' is just opening...the small marigolds were hardly affected...
alpine strawberries seemed carefree...
the broccoli soldiered on (when should i harvest it?)
the japanese blood grass survived - this time...
echinacea 'sundown' deformed by cold...
the kale looks salted like a pretzel, but it is frost...
small marigold fringed with white...
tithonia 'torch' was higher and more protected...
brussels sprout leaves...
tagetes tenufolia, is so sturdy...
tulip tree seeds and leaf frozen in the bird bath... i you enlarge you can see the bubbles in the ice...