Rule for pruning:  Trim back one third of the height of your plant, shrub or tree.  Bambi didn't know that rule when she pruned my strawberries last night.  A couple of the plants got trimmed down to ground level.  She ate the green leaves and politely left the red berries for me.

I noticed the deer hoof prints in the flower beds right underneath the sunflower seed bird feeder.  There were seeds scattered on the ground.  I was surprised that the deer did not clean them up.  

The juncos and the nuthatches were feeding on the ground when I got home from work.  It was entertaining to watch them skitter around under the ninebark branches in search of the seeds that the deer had dropped.

The wind was gusting all day.  There are only a few stubborn leaves clinging to the branches of the poplars in behind my yard.  The beautiful colors of fall now lay in wind blown piles along the fence line.

I don't like being outside on gusty days so I hunkered down with a book for the night.  The only time I got distracted was when the sun began going down.  The colors of the sunset this evening were brilliant but short lived as dark clouds moved in from the west.  Rain showers are in the forecast for tonight.  I love the smell of rain and look forward to taking in that freshness when I open the back door in the morning.