And, all of a sudden, it is Autumn!

The warm summer weather lasted into mid October this year and Autumn took its sweet time getting here. But when it finally arrived, there was only a handful of balmy autumn days; and then we were thrown into very cold, rainy, windy weeks. The color on the leaves seems to be late in coming this year, so that is a blessing in disguise, . . . if the leaves can hold on for a while longer before they drop to the ground. As I write this on an overcast and cold Sunday afternoon, the temperature is hovering around 37 degrees with a wind chill of 27 degrees, due to the nearly 20 m.p.h. wind. It feels like and looks like November. The optimist in me thinks we will have a beautiful stretch of weather in November . . . the kind of weather I grew up calling "Indian Summer". But, as with many things that have been habitual and taken for granted, I know that the term may be offensive to some people. I hope to never offend anyone or any race of people by the things I write about in my blog, so even though the term "Indian Summer", for me, evokes warm and positive thoughts and memories, I will include here a little piece I found on the Internet about the term. You can read it by clicking on this link: https://blogs.mprnews.org/updraft/2017/10/a-new-name-for-indian-summer/




I took to the back roads on some of the nicer days we've had lately and drove slowly through the countryside and took a few photos. They appear below. For a closer look, you can click on the photos to enlarge them.




A sure sign of Autumn here in our rural part of Western New York is field corn drying out and rustling in the wind.
It isn't picked when the kernels are soft, like sweet corn; instead it dries on the cob and is harvested when it is dry so it can be used for feed for farm animals.

When I stopped to take the photo of the corn field above, this inviting path into the woods was on the other side of the road.
I was alone and it was in a rather remote location, so I opted to just take a picture and dream about what sights, sounds and smells I could have discovered in there. When I was a kid . . . and lived about a mile from where this was taken, I used to play in these woods. I would ride over to the "other road" on my bike and explore until I heard the whistle my mother used to call us home for meals. The world is different now than it was back then. It was quite obvious I was there, since there was a car parked along side the road. I couldn't hide it in the woods like I could my bike!

Late afternoon view of the sky to the west on Browns Mill Road, West Bethany.
The wind was blowing the clouds apart.
I love a moody sky.

This photo was taken on the same day as the one above, and in the same location.
The sky to the north was more homogeneous in color, probably due to the angle of the light.
I like to call these rolling hills drumlins and I think they meet the criteria.
The definition appears here:  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drumlin
This is one of my favorite places to stop and listen to the quiet and look at the unspoiled topography.
My husband will often take the long way home when we are out, just to drive me to this location so I can enjoy the view.

My morning haven is now scattered with leaves every day  when I have my coffee.

I used these garden labels to mark where the perennials in our garden are planted so I don't mistake them for weeds next spring!
It takes a long time for some of the plants to break through and it is easy to misidentify them.

I was surprised to find these three Black-eyed Susans blooming.

Russian Sage surrounds the brass sundial that is on top of an old bird bath stand.
The cone flowers, (Echinacea) are a new addition to the garden.
I originally wasn't planning to put reds, oranges or yellows in the garden, but I'm glad that I broke my own "rule".
I can't wait to see what they do next year. :-)

Froggy watches over the garden path and welcomes all who enter.
Behind him are some Autumn Joy and daisies.
I love the gray weather-worn wood on the barn in the neighbor's yard in the distance.

It was quite balmy yesterday morning, so I decided to make a video to record just how my garden looks this October. The video gives you an idea of what some of the plants look like in the fall and how, in my opinion, it still is very beautiful, even in the final weeks of the season. You can view it on my YouTube channel at the following link:  https://youtu.be/XsH8gNlYg9A  There is audio, so be sure to turn your speakers on for my narration.


Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to read this post. As always, your questions and comments are welcome. I do read them and will respond. You can leave them here in the "Comments" section, or on Facebook.


I hope you are finding special ways to enjoy the change of seasons, and that you and those you love are happy and healthy. And, until we meet again, may the Lord bless you and keep you in the hollow of His hand.


Emmy