Monday, November 1, 2010

Out my window this morning

I got up and sure as the sunset said last night, it was a glorious morning. This is the time to enjoy a 4 season climate. I experience fall here differently than back home. Most of the trees change colors here, whereas in Washington, they're green all year (with the appreciated exception!).




I called my cat to follow and she did as I went to get Baasha. (See, we have mud too.)



Lately I've been scheduling Baasha's days in a rather strict manner. By day he comes in so I can fuss over him and he can eat hay, and at night I put him out to graze (with hay also, that he ignores). He doesn't have the choice right now to come and go as he pleases, because my sacrifice area needs some time; I'm trying to save the grass on our hang.




Down by our ponds I am in awe of my favorite tree ever ----- the larch. Larch trees look like pines but are actually deciduous - they lose their needles, but before that, they change colors spectacularly around this week. I think it's God's creativity that he made an "evergreen" that changes like the oak.



In spring they are bright bluish green, in summer green, then orange, then yellow, I think there is nothing better, tree-wise. (And this week we discovered a little 4 foot baby larch on our hang! Our most precious of trees, I might cut down some birches to give it room.)



(Please forgive me, long time readers, cuz I seem to go off every year this time about these trees.)

I want to say that I have not edited these images in any way ---but that's obvious, right? : )

I won't post edited pictures without a disclaimer; sometimes it's hard to tell what's real out there on the internet.


Baasha didn't seem to notice the splendor, as I snapped pictures.




The sun cut through the mist behind him.




The cat looked for prey around Baasha's trough. See, we have some mud here too. It is not a perfect system like I wish. *sigh*




Baasha left me, seeing that I stood there preferring my camera. He did not appreciate the beauty of this morning.




I followed him up the hill to his stall, where his warm breakfast waited.









Taking a look into my greenhouse, it looked spooky in the fog and shadows.



Looking down I saw that a mouse did not drown, rather he froze to death in the bucket. So little water, he could have stood up. It must have been the cold water that killed him.

I dumped the bucket, called the cat, and called it her "mouse popsicle" as she ate it. Then I scrubbed the bucket with lots of soap.



Disgusting.



Here are my two favorite trees again, to get the mouse image out of your head.

12 comments:

AareneX said...

Absolutely beautiful. We've got maple trees turning colors here right now (normally they turn brown and slimy and then drop the leaves immediately so they can make brown slimy heaps everywhere), it's pretty but kinda weird!

The mouse = icky.

lytha said...

Aarene, we have two baby maples on our hang and my man loves them - they are his favorites. I don't think they'll amount to much, the maples you see around here are mostly large bushes, not trees. (Not vine mapes.)

But the maples I remember from home are majestic giant golden things with 16 inch leaves, that make for a lot of work by homeowners this time of year.

I hope to someday have a large red japanese maple in my front yard. Expensive!

~lytha

Mellimaus said...

Those larch trees are incredible!

Nuzzling Muzzles said...

You've got a really nice range of fall colors.

hainshome said...

thank you! you've helped me to identify a tree we saw in the north Cascades recently. A bunch of bright yellow "evergreens"... I couldn't figure them out! I guess we have them here, as well. :)
-the sister

Funder said...

Your fall is so beautiful it's unreal! Isn't it wonderful and precious when a season works out? We had a fantastic spring here, everything was SO green - our fall is blah, but I remember the "oh yes!" feeling from spring. Just soak up the beauty and keep taking pictures!

I'm glad Mercer is a good buddy-cat. :)

cdncowgirl said...

I always enjoy the leaves changing in the fall. We had trees in our city neighbourhood but its so much better out here in the country! :)

calihorsegirl said...

your place is so beautiful, I'd love to see a photo tour of it! :-)

allhorsestuff said...

MAN>>>THANKS for the image of your beautiful trees again...ICK-images really stick to me!

Really gorgeous!!! We have had these past 3 days of WHAT??!! 70 degress in November! AND the trees are Flaming bright in the light of the seasons end!

That row of them you have to see,totally fantastic.
I am so glad that Baasha is looking so good. you do what you must with mudd. Sorry the system isn't as great as it could be.

my new place, in order to preserve the fileds, does a every woth turn out pretty soon. 2 horses will stay in(150 foot graveled and covered treed runs) and 2 go out. Thoughtful system.

HAPPY AUTUMN You two and farm!
Kac

Chelsi said...

Beautiful pictures... thanks for the last, I needed it. lol

EvenSong said...

Well, if my Sandy-dog can eat "poop-sicles" in the winter, I don't see why Mercer can't have a "rode-sicle"!
I've always thought larches were nice--we had bunches where I used to be in Montana. My poplars have all just about finished dropping their leaves, but the color isn't near as spectacular as yours. Our one maple was pretty puny when we moved in, but has filled out well, and is almost even with the roof; our remodel-add-on next year (I hope) is planned totally around not disturbing the maple or it's roots.

Unknown said...

Mousicle? Eewww. I was all agog until that.

But that too is Autumn, I suppose!

Here we have one maple. We watch her change her outfit with great anticipation, but it's over so quick...