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Post by stepper on Oct 12, 2011 19:27:39 GMT -6
Oh no! It's not bad enough that you're infecting her with your wanderlust for frigid temperatures and teaching her to strap planks to her feet so she can learn to fall in frozen water? Now you’re (shudder) adding your inordinate amount of time in cemetery visitations?? Poor girl! She needs hubs to teach her to joys of football! And pretzels and beer! Healthy (and much warmer) stuff!!
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Post by Phalon on Oct 15, 2011 5:46:17 GMT -6
Now, where is the fun in that?
Our string of beautiful days and glorious fall weather has passed. Lots of rain on Thursday, Friday was cold and extremely windy, and this morning seems to be a combination of both days.
Drat! I was sooo loving the last blast of sunny, warm weather! Forecast for next week: "snow", says one weatherman; "temperatures cold enough to snow", says another. If I got to choose, I'd take the second. I may love strapping planks to my feet, but there's too much other stuff left to do outside to be doing it in the snow.
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Post by stepper on Oct 15, 2011 15:18:10 GMT -6
You have to ask?
Isn’t that sacrilegious for a person with a winter weather fetish? Of course, snow banks might interfere with Trick or Treating, but that would leave you with all the candy!
Oh. I know – let nature cover the garden for the winter and you can take a year off! Or were you thinking about the plants, and planters, raking the leaves out of the yard, heating the new shed, painting the house red before winter sets in…you know – easy to do and quickly done stuff.
Speaking of winter - does that mean the nursery will close a little earlier this year?
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Post by Phalon on Oct 21, 2011 5:01:02 GMT -6
But, but, but....passing out candy is one of my favorite things about Halloween!
And no, not sacrilegious - I like all the seasons (except early spring which is too much like winter here, but without snow). I'd hate to live somewhere without drastic differences in seasons, where one kind of rolls into the next. Autumn is my favorite though, and I hate that it's the shortest.
We had a couple of nice days early in the week, and I was able to get some of that outside stuff done; cut back a couple of gardens, and get the porch decorated for Halloween with gnarly branches strung with orange lights, and my crow silhouettes perched overlooking all who dare to climb the steps. The scary stuff goes up later, just in time for the trick-or-treaters, (they have to be surprised, you know, or it's no fun).
The weather turned nasty Tuesday, though. It's a good thing the temperatures didn't get low enough for it to snow, because it's rained nonstop since Tuesday night. If all that rain was snow, I'd probably be up to my eyeballs in it! It was so nasty yesterday work was called off; my boss handled any of the few customers that might have come in.
That's the only thing I don't like about this time of year - the uncertainty of when my work season will be over. The last day we keep regular 7-day a week hours is November 1st. I usually stay on, helping get things ready for winter until Thanksgiving week. With the really nice weather we've had up until recently though, the crews have been busy in the back forty doing stuff that usually doesn't get done until later. That means, of course, there won't be much to after retail closes. I honestly have no idea when I'll be done.
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Post by quettalee on Oct 21, 2011 10:35:49 GMT -6
The rain has disappeared for today here in the ORV. It couldn't be any more beautiful or a more perfect day as far as I'm concerned. Bright sunshine & 51°, with a high of 60! Since we got all that rain & cold the past three days, I can almost sit here and watch the leaves changing. Can't wait to get out of the house tomorrow... Today, computer work, house-cleaning, working on the computer, cooking, listening to loud music cleaning house, using the computer to work...  Work today, play tomorrow! |
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Post by Siren on Oct 23, 2011 21:57:51 GMT -6
Here in Oklahoma, we're having an odd sort of second spring. After a summer of drought and record heat, the weather has cooled and rain has finally come our way. In response, the pastures have greened up, and some trees have put on new leaves. The tomato plants that my BIL nursed through the drought now have blossoms on them for the first time. It literally looks like spring around here. Last night a summer kind of thunderstorm came through, dropping lots of hail, mostly dime and nickel-size. But then it got bigger - golf ball size, then tennis ball size, then, some the size of baseballs and a few larger than that. Unusual anytime, but really weird for this time of year. The nights are so cool and beautiful, I am really loving it. But like Gams, I know this won't last for long. Autumn, my favorite season, is pitifully short.
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Post by Phalon on Oct 24, 2011 6:39:22 GMT -6
Hope you got your chance, Sis. It was certainly a beautiful weekend here to be outside.
I spent nearly all day doing outside things yesterday; I roller-skied, then took BP to the farmer's market where we spent the good part of an hour looking at gourds, picking out pumpkins, apples, and what I'm sure are the last of the fresh local tomatoes. At home, I got the cannas dug up - what a chore! It amazes me how big those tubers get in a single season; I started off planting a bucket of them in spring (after giving a whole grocery bag full to a friend), and now have 3 and a half tubs.
After dinner, Hubs and I took a nice stroll through the neighborhood. Everyone, it seemed, had been busy raking leaves to the curb in anticipation of the leaf sucker truck's next round. You know I couldn't resist - I just had to (very carefully high-stepping it so not to disturb them too much), wade through the piles instead of using the sidewalks.
After the gorgeous day, we had a storm last night too, Siren. It turned ugly fast. When I took the dog out for the last time before going to bed, I watched the wind kick up the piles of leaves that I'd raked to the curb that afternoon, and turn them into whirlwinds that blew back into the yard, (pay-back I'm betting, for walking through all those leaf piles myself).
After I got all snuggled in bed, there was a terrible clanging and banging out on the front porch. I swear Hubs could sleep through anything. So I tromped back downstairs, and out on the porch to take down the silhouette of a black cat in a full moon that's hanging from a hook, and was making all the racket slamming back and forth. Just as I was reaching for it while standing on a stool, the entire sky lit up with lighting, causing me to nearly topple over. That's what happens I suppose when a black cat crosses your path under a full moon during an October storm.
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Post by Siren on Oct 25, 2011 21:18:31 GMT -6
I'm sure that's one of the things Hubs loves about you, Gams - that there's still a kid in you that just has to walk through piles of leaves.  One of these days, I wanna see that leaf sucker machine work. What color are your cannas? I love those. I used to have some nice red ones at my house in OKC. My mom loves them, too, but never has good luck. As much as she mulches them over the winter, they always freeze and don't come back. I can just see you when that lightning startled you. Lol! Same thing happened to my dad, many years ago. We were in the cellar, waiting out a storm. My dad opened the cellar door just a bit, and stuck his head out to look at the clouds. Just at that moment, lightning struck a power pole close to us, nearly deafening us all. My dad looked back into the cellar and said, thoughtfully, "I think I can taste the fillings in my teeth." LOL! After a bright, sunny afternoon today, with a high temp of around 82, a cold front moves in tomorrow, bringing back more realistic fall temperatures. Supposed to be 72 for the high tomorrow, 42 for the overnight low, and 52 for the high on Thursday. I won't mind at all. I love jacket weather! |
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Post by stepper on Oct 29, 2011 21:47:00 GMT -6
Snow in the northeast before Halloween? Did it ever happen to you that the weather was so bad you were stuck with all that candy? It's never happened here. There was one year where it rained, but by evening the clouds had cleared and the kids were out.
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Post by Siren on Nov 1, 2011 22:12:52 GMT -6
I've had Halloween candy that was damp with rain, Step, but never snowed on. That would be amazing, though! Gams, you asked for some vacation photos. You remember that you ASKED for them, right? I promise I won't be one of those "bore you with tons of vacation photos" people. But these are so good, I had to share a few. My friend Jenni bought a new camera a few weeks before we left, and hoped that she would get it figured out in time. I think she did. Here's my cousin's house. They say it's so old, the Pony Express rider used to spend the night there.  Here's a close-up of the wagon in front, Gams. My cousin's daughter bought it at an auction, and had to literally dig it out of a field to get it for her. Isn't it fantastic? And so are her flowers.  Here's that mountain jay I was telling you about.  Some fall color, and a little, old chapel waaaaay up in the hills.  The road that got us there.  That snow on the mountain started falling while we were about halfway up it.  *whine* I want to go back! |
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Post by Phalon on Nov 3, 2011 6:36:49 GMT -6
Oh, take me with you!!!! I sooooo need a vacation, and your cousin's place looks like such a beautiful and restful spot. More later, Siren - the photos are just to gorgeous to leave it at that. But, it seems more than usual this week, I'm running late. Later, Tater. <and she's off to the races> |
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Post by quettalee on Nov 3, 2011 20:06:25 GMT -6
Those are some of the most beautiful fotos I've ever seen, Siren. Like postcards, they are!
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Post by stepper on Nov 4, 2011 16:19:50 GMT -6
Nice pictures Siren; love the fall colors!
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Post by Siren on Nov 4, 2011 21:22:49 GMT -6
Thank you, guys. My goal was to see Cuchara in fall splendor. And since you can't predict when Mother Nature is going to do her thing, we just had to schedule a weekend, and hope we got lucky. We did. The little scrub oaks, as my cousin called them, had already lost their color. But the aspen were at their peak of gold brilliance. They literally glowed with color. It was breathtaking. The only disappointment was that we missed the snow; it started the evening after we left. My cousin got 20 inches of snow in one storm last week, and was snowed in. Didn't bother her at all. She and her cat were snug as bugs in a rug.
That little chapel was built in the 50s, and is one of the few intact buildings in Old Town La Veta, waaaay up in the hills - 9,000 feet plus. I need to post a photo of the inside of the chapel. There's a Catholic shrine, and folks have left all sorts of trinkets to mark their visit and commemorate a prayer. It was fascinating - one of the most interesting things I've experienced. Would be such a cool place to have a small, no-frills wedding. You'd have to bus everyone up there, and take all the refreshments with you. But it would be so worth it - utterly unique.
The mountain jay photo is a great shot. But I adore it because of the tidbit that's in his beak. It's cherry streusel pie. I know, because, earlier, I had scraped some pie leftovers into the garbage can lid he's perched on. (My cousin nailed the lid onto an old stump, and puts food there for the birds and bears.) I also like the little white streak above his eye. I wonder what that's for?
Anyway, I'm glad you enjoyed the photos. Jenni did an outstanding job, taking them. She really has an eye for it. And that camera was worth every penny.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 5, 2011 7:56:00 GMT -6
It's hard to choose, but I think my favorites are of the chapel, and the road down the mountain. That road just begs you to find out what's around the bend.
The jay has that little white streak, of course, so you can tell when he's giving you "The Look". You know "The Look", don't you? One eyebrow arched in a what-the-heck-are-you-doing-now? expression. I get it all the time, more from my family than birds, I think. But then again, I can't tell with the birds around here; they don't have eyebrows to arch like mountain jays.
Our fall color here this year was different than usual; I think it has something to do with the strange summer weather we had. The normally bright reds and oranges weren't as brilliant. Still gorgeous, but the reds appeared a subdued brick-red, and the oranges had more pink tinges than tangerine. The yellows though! As you said, they glowed golden brilliance...so much so it was the topic of conversation on everyone's tongue last week. The maples out front, usually a bland butter-yellow literally shined, especially on those overcast days. Ever notice how much more brilliant autumn colors appear against a gray sky? Breathtaking!
It show is mostly over now, though. There's still a lot of color out there, but a few nights of below freezing temperatures have taken care of all but a few leaves on the maples still clinging to otherwise bare branches. Looks like we have a lot of raking to do this weekend, and I should start at it....in a while. It's still only 35 degrees out there! Brrrrr!!!
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Post by stepper on Nov 5, 2011 16:37:38 GMT -6
I like all kinds of pictures, but trees in full bloom are hard to beat. There's no 'show' here this year - leaves went straight from green to brown. Sigh. Maybe next year.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 12, 2011 7:46:31 GMT -6
It has been a really hard week to want to be at work; the weather has made it absolutely miserable to be outside, and all our work this time of year is outside. In addition, what's left of the crews have been out doing landscaping jobs and end of the season garden clean-up - I've been alone on the property the majority of the time putting everything to bed. I've gotten really good at talking to myself. I've been soaked through by rain, snowed upon, sleeted on, and pelted by hail. The skin on my hands is cracked, my fingernails shredded, and my back is killing me.
I'm not complaining (just whining); I'm thankful to still be working, (most of the employees have already been laid-off). Did I mention my car needed $937.00 worth of repairs this week, (there goes nearly the entire $1,000 I got paid for the articles in this issue and the upcoming issue)?
But guess what?
Today the sun is shining! Same forecast for tomorrow. And I've got two days off in a row!
Whoo-hoo!!!
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Post by Siren on Nov 12, 2011 8:57:23 GMT -6
Wow - you are experiencing a rare natural phenomena: weather improving just before a weekend off. Usually, crappy weather (and flu symptoms) improve just in time to head back to work.
I hate that you're not having a pretty autumn, Step. Oddly enough, we are having a glorious one. Even the pecan leaves, which usually just turn brown and fall off, are a pretty gold color. I guess our rains arrived just in the nick of time. Boy, did they. In Sulphur, about 30 minutes from here, they got NINE inches of rain the other night. Some people had to evacuate their homes! But there are many full ponds there now, where there was just dried, cracked earth before.
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Post by stepper on Nov 12, 2011 9:02:01 GMT -6
Sorry about the weather Phalon, but at least it didn’t interfere with your Halloween fun. We finally got some rain – enough that it was measurable – and there may be more next week. I hope so, we’re still not is good shape when it comes to water.
I’ve said before the trees are simply going brown and dropping leaves, but there’s a state park not terribly far away called Lost Maples and as the name implies it’s an island of maple trees in the middle of a pine and rock covered area. And it has managed to put on a spectacular show this year. None of the fading browns – the place looks like a log in a fireplace. Brilliant reds and golds and even blues (which must be an illusion); it’d be great except the entire state is trying to get there because it’s the only nice spot for viewing within a days drive.
We're still there Siren. Even in my yard the ground has cracked and separated.
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 12, 2011 17:27:12 GMT -6
The skin on my hands is cracked, my fingernails shredded, and my back is killing me.
Have you heard of CeraVe? When I saw the skin doctor last month, I mentioned how dry I get this time of year. He said not to use body wash, and to use CeraVe Hydrating Cleanser instead. Then when I get out of the shower, use CeraVe Moisturizing Lotion. Heaven! I'm still using the vaporizers though to keep down the static. The cat and I hate getting zapped, and it isn't good for computers either. The doctor said I could go back to using body wash when I switch to the a/c. I may not though.
The hard part is getting used to the cleanser not lathering up. It just doesn't seem like it will get me clean unless it has a lot of soap suds. ... I also have to take warm showers, and not the blazing hot ones I love so much.  Not happy with that either. Guess I could go back to the hot showers once I switch to the a/c though.  Something to look forward to.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 13, 2011 8:35:47 GMT -6
It's amazing what some desired weather can do. A sunny, warm day yesterday got me out of the week-long funk I was wallowing in (sorry about the whiny post), and you guys got your much needed rain - like Siren said, just in the nick of time. Rain in fall is so very important to all things that grow; dry roots going into winter can be devastating.
Thanks for the CeraVe tip, Joxie - I know I've seen it at the drugstore before, but haven't tried it...and I've tried about a million different products. My problem (especially last week) is my hands stay wet a lot of the time, even in gloves, which leads to chapping and cracking. LX has eczema, and can't use a lot of soaps and lotions (I even have to buy special laundry soap). Moisturel works extremely well for both our problems, but it's also every expensive. Aquaphor is extremely good for dry skin problems, but it's greasy; when I use it on my hands, I usually slather in on thick at night, and wear cotton gloves or even socks to bed (yes, I'll try just about anything). Though I couldn't find anything on the CeraVe site about eczema, it seems like it might be something we could both benefit from using. Oh, and like you, LX and I both love those blazing hot showers....but neither of us can seem to give them up!
Hmmmm....I just did a drill on CeraVe and eczema; the top two sites that came up stating that it was good for eczema sufferers were both from the CeraVe website....and both pages were "not found" when I clicked on them. I wonder if they were removed due to findings that the products weren't good to treat eczema. So many products make the condition worse.
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Post by Mini Mia on Nov 13, 2011 18:30:18 GMT -6
For LX, you might want to dab some on one small area first to see what happens. I, too, gooped on hand lotion before going to bed because my hands crack bad during the dry season. So far my hands haven't cracked since I've been using this, though they do itch a teeny bit, so I use both the CeraVe and a dry skin lotion when going to bed. I do that with the soles of my feet too. And even though my hands do itch some, they're still nice and soft.
As for the shower: an hour or two before I get in, I turn on this electric radiator-looking heater I have in the bathroom, and turn it up to 93-95. I still like my hot showers even then, but at least now when I do do a warm shower the room is so nice and toasty it isn't so bad. I'll go back to the hot showers when the dry season is over. 
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Post by stepper on Nov 15, 2011 17:51:05 GMT -6
What happens when the weather cools down and you get some rain?? You get a late season present. |
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Post by Siren on Nov 15, 2011 22:26:33 GMT -6
Oh wow - beautiful! Thanks for posting those!
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Post by Phalon on Nov 16, 2011 7:34:08 GMT -6
Beautiful, Stepper. My 'Fairy' roses are still blooming here, despite some heavy frosts, and a couple of nights below freezing. The blooms are nothing so grand as your hybrid teas; they're a little smaller than a golf ball, but the plants are indestructible. Hybrid teas aren't very hardy here, and require a lot of care. 'Fairy' roses require nothing. They bloom a pretty light pink that LX said clashed with the pumpkins at Halloween; I thought the same thing and actually entertained cutting off the blooms for that reason, (which would have been a bit Halloween obsessive, I'm thinking). I ended up leaving them because, dang, who can resist a rose in October....or especially mid-November!
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Post by Siren on Nov 17, 2011 22:27:01 GMT -6
I've seen cannas in a city flowerbed blooming vigorously this week. But I'm betting this frost will get them. Am I right, Gams? They sure are pretty.
Lordy, it has turned off cold the last couple of nights. I had forgotten how cold this old house is; it's chilly almost the moment the wall heater goes off. But we're due high temps back in the 70s by Sunday. Fall is still hanging in there. And I am enjoying every moment.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 18, 2011 7:33:53 GMT -6
Oh, I'm glad you brought up cannas again, Siren. You mentioned your Mom's never came back. Up here, we have to dig the tubers out of the ground, and store them in a cool (but not freezing) dry place over winter. I've got a ton of them - they multiplied like crazy this year. I'm more than happy to send you and your Mom some if you'd like. They're a burgundy-colored leaf variety with red flowers.
And yep...once a heavy frost hits those cannas in the city garden, they'll be done for the season.
I think it's supposed to be warmer here this weekend too....with highs in the fifties. It's been brrrrrr cold here this week!
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Post by quettalee on Nov 18, 2011 15:59:07 GMT -6
Beautiful, Step! Love roses, especially late ones.
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Post by Phalon on Nov 20, 2011 8:29:55 GMT -6
It's a beautiful morning here, fairly warm, and definitely sunny - perfect for one of the last roller-skis of the season, I'm thinking (but hoping differently). Scrambled eggs come first, though; BP's favorite, and I promised....I wonder if we even have eggs? Maybe a trip to the grocery store first; I think we're out of milk too. Bread?
Sheesh, based on the list I'm formulating, you'd think snow was in the forecast.
Later, Taters. Enjoy the day.
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Post by stepper on Nov 20, 2011 10:32:17 GMT -6
What do they look like? Same here, although some versions of the hybrid roses do quite well. I had a wonderful National Velvet that lasted for many years. And I've had some hybrids that were pretty, but didn't last nearly as long as you would hope.
BOLL! Yeah, cutting the roses because they clashed with your Halloween decorations would have been a bit extreme. Besides, all that really matters is Halloween night and who could have seen the flowers in the dark? Are they still blooming? The weather report said you've had a couple of pretty cold nights up there. The hybrids need a couple weeks of really cold temps so they'll hibernate or they won't have vigorous blooms in the spring.
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"There are people you meet, who move in and out of your life, like ghosts-- and after they're gone, you find that they've left a part of themselves with you.
