End of a mild October

I can hardly believe it's almost the end of October.  The month has zipped by for me.  It has been quite mild, weather wise, and today I pulled off a few of the bell peppers that are still bearing.

I have a small shiitake mushroom on my log.

The pansies are looking colorful.

 

 

 

Hope you've had a good October.

Random thoughts

Darling son just got back from an out-of-town job.  He had some pictures to share, and I was charmed by this adorable covered bridge.

On the home front, I discovered a tasty pairing--cottage cheese and Oriental persimmon.  Perfect.

 

We're getting some color in the leaves here, finally, a little later because of the warm weather.  This is the sugar maple in the front yard.

 



October is a pretty month!



Blog comments setting change

I had a couple of people tell me they were not able to comment on my blog, so I have changed the settings.  Hopefully, this will rectify the problem.

Gold panning

Yesterday, darling son and I took a trip and did a little gold panning.  We did not find any gold, but we had a very lovely day.  The weather was perfect, the scenery was nice, and being in the woods was emotionally relaxing.
Here are some pics that Caleb took of our excellent adventure.  (I almost stepped on the box turtle, not even seeing it.  Caleb was walking behind me and spotted it.  I am glad we didn't encounter any rattlesnakes.)

 

 

And even when you're in a pine and hardwood forest with laurel thickets along the stream, native yucca on a steep rocky hillside, a box turtle, a black snake, minnows, and fresh water snails, there is no telling what kind of fauna you might see when you get back out onto the highway.

 

A light frost--time to cook collards

Wednesday morning we had some frost on elevated surfaces like the car windshields, the roof, and a pile of pine straw.  It was not a "killing frost," but I thought it was a good enough reason to gather a few collard leaves, which are said to be improved by frost, and cook them.  They did not disappoint.
The unusually warm weather that we had which I thought would be a boon to the fall crops ended up being quite the boon to the caterpillars which eat the fall crops, so I have really had to fight them this year.  Hopefully the cooler weather will slow down the pests and we can get more of the greens for ourselves.   

Finally fall

We had a welcomed cold front to move through today.  Finally the air feels like fall.  Here are some touches of fall in pictures.

Goldenrod, aster, coneflower, and azalea...

Some leaves I raked...

Some pine straw I raked and darling husband hauled from the neighbor's yard...

The Oriental persimmon tree...

It's time to adjust our plans to the next season.

Topiary update

I trimmed my topiary recently.  When I glance back at pictures from just a year ago, I can see how much it has filled out.

(October 2017)

 

(July 2016)

I think I want to put some Christmas lights in it this year.

Bluebirds at the water dish

Even though we no longer have a dog, I have maintained the water dish for the benefit of the birds.  Lately I've noticed the bluebirds using the dish for water.  You can see from the picture that one of the birds still has juvenile markings, so it must be from one of the last broods of the season. 
These bluebirds will probably winter here.  I don't know when the migratory birds will leave.  I saw the summer tanager and the cuckoo within the last two weeks.  Maybe they were waiting till the hurricane passed through before they started out to Mexico and South America.

A night at Java House

Last night, darling husband and darling son cobbled together a substitute band for the one that was supposed to be at Java House in Bunn.  It turned out well.  They allowed me to sing a couple of songs too.
The proprietor shot a snippet of video--enough to give you a general flavor.  In the video are Roger Knox and Caleb Knox on guitar and mandolin, John White on guitar, Shelton Smith on dobro, and Tiger Faircloth on bass fiddle.  It was a nice community venue with a generous audience.
https://www.facebook.com/javahousebunn/videos/1980258632259037/

Daylily 'Final Touch' delights again

Here is a picture of my daylily 'Final Touch' that I took on September 29.  Each flower is sporting an extra petal.

 

When I bought the daylily a few years ago, I gave my mom one of the divisions in the pack.  When we talk on the phone, we give each other reports on the latest blooms.  I've had a few blooms this week, and I have 2 more buds yet to open.  It's a great plant.

A bluegrass weekend

This past Saturday, I had the chance to enjoy some of the bluegrass music in downtown Raleigh, part of the International Bluegrass Music Association festival.  It was an enjoyable afternoon.  Sunday, I enjoyed more bluegrass when Carolina Tradition, a band Caleb recently joined, played for a church barbecue in Wake Forest.  It was a very pleasant experience--good preaching, good food, good music, horseshoes, and a hay bale ride behind a Farmall tractor.
What a nice way to bring in the lovely month of October!