As I looked out the back window to watch the sun rise, I noticed that the wind has stripped the autumn color from the trees. I heard the gusts through the night and this morning, the backyard is littered with leaves.
It is still windy so the efforts to rake them would be fruitless. I need a few bags of leaves to mix into my raised garden beds so the first chance I get, I'll be collecting that backyard carpet and mixing it with the black soil.
On Saturday when I got back from the farm, I was unloading my vehicle and saw birds overhead. This time it was not sandhill cranes. There were pelicans swooping and swirling!
The Canada geese are not on the move yet. I noticed many flocks in the harvested fields; picking up what the farm equipment left behind.
The chickadees and nuthatches are busy feeding in the backyard. I've added some suet and peanut feeders to attract more woodpeckers and blue jays. There has been lots of action at all the feeders. The sunflower seeds need to be filled daily where through the summer I filled those feeders once per week.
The birds are preparing for winter just as I was. The firewood stand arrived and I put that together. The log splitter arrived and the stack of wood is split, on the stand and covered up. The new outdoor fire pit arrived and I assembled that as well. I haven't had the chance to use it yet. There is some prep work that needs doing in the old fire ring before the new one can fit inside safely.
I can't wait to try it for the first time. The forecast for the weekend is looking great and if the wind cooperates, I'm going to try my best for an autumn bonfire. The best case scenario would be to have some leaves left over from the garden project. Oh, how I love leaf bonfires in the fall. I miss my old 'leaf trees' from the backyard. They used to give me enough leaves for a bonfire to last all afternoon.
I was admiring the autumn colors on the drive home today. The wind stripped the leaves off many of the tall aspens but the shorter shrubs are holding onto theirs.
As I passed by the first pond across from the Strathcona Wilderness Centre, I noticed a moose browsing on the willow branches on the far side. It always amazes me how all the drivers passing me are oblivious to the abundance of wildlife. I let five vehicles pass by and not one was paying attention. Two of the five had cell phones glued to their ears which is a no-no to begin with. I sure hope they are more vigilant the next time a big moose runs across their path.
I watched that beautiful animal as it enjoyed its snack in the mid-afternoon sun. Its dark brown coat shone in the sunlight and it paid no attention to me while I snapped my photos.
Tomorrow is wood splitting day. The log splitter got delivered today and I've assembled all the loose parts. Yesterday I assembled the stand that will hold all the split wood. If I get up early, I can sneak a quick hike in to enjoy the fall colors before the wind does a number to the remaining leaves. With any luck, this moose will still be hanging around the area.
