A Season of Change

This morning proved to be a frosty one.  Some of the final blooms of the season were covered in icy crystals. The weight of them bent the flower heads down to the earth.  A couple of days ago they were reaching for the sun's rays.

There were still a couple of bees around but they were not moving very quickly.  Their favorite blossoms are in front of the house.  The frost spared them but there are very few left that have not bloomed out.


 

I drove to the farm today to share a Thanksgiving meal with family.  The route was scenic.  There were spots that still had some autumn color and others that had nothing but bare branches.  Many farmers were out in the fields harvesting their crops; trying to beat the snow.

The larch in my sister's yard was still holding onto its brilliant yellow needles.  It created a great backdrop for some family photos.

There were still a couple of bright red apples clinging to their branches.  I'm sure they will provide the coyotes or the birds with a snack once they hit the ground.

A lonely robin was huddled close to a garden shrub.  It was looking a tad chilly.  As I approached it hopped under the shrub for cover.




Everything is slowing down and preparing for winter.  The days are noticeably shorter.  In the mornings, there has been a layer of ice on top of the water in my garden pails.  

A couple of days ago, one of the weather people reminded everyone that a year ago, we had our first snow fall of 2012 and a few days after that we got dumped on and the snow actually stayed.  It was the longest winter that we had in a long while.  I wonder what this year will bring.

"Someone painted pictures on my
     Windowpane last night --
Willow trees with trailing boughs
     And flowers, frosty white,
And lovely crystal butterflies;
     But when the morning sun
Touched them with its golden beams,
     They vanished one by one."
-  Helen Bayley Davis, Jack Frost