Fall

The temperatures have been bouncing all over this past week -- from the upper 30s to the mid 80s -- but the foliage has definitely begun to turn. This is a picture of a road near here in Lake Delton. We are getting some nice reds, lots of gold and orange. The sumac runs the gamut -- from yellow through deep gold to orange to bright red to a deep purple.

The little crabapple tree that Tom planted in the front yard has a lot of small crabapples on it, a good sign that it has survived the summer and will be blossoming next spring. Tom has been collecting seed from the cosmos and daylilies to plant for next year. He has mowed down the wildflower beds in the back around the deck, which makes the place look much neater. The ones in front are still flowering and I think they won't be cut until he has the last seed. The tomatoes and peppers were ruined by the frost and those plants will probably be next to go. Tom had planted flowers alongside the veggies, but it sounds like next year he is going to plant them separately. The hens-and-chicks that Helen brought us are doing well, although their flowers are almost hidden by the cosmos that are overshadowing them. I am not sure if they will make it through the winter.

The birds are still frantically eating us out of house and home. I assume they are packing on some energy to fly south, but it seems like a Catch 22 situation: if they eat enough to put on some fat for energy, they will weigh more and it will be harder to fly.