Sunday Morning coming up

What a magical frosty morning!

It was 23 ℉ when I went out to enjoy the morning sounds on Sunday morning.

I thought it was raining or there were droplets of water from the trees, but it wasn't. It was the most beautiful sound of leaves falling gently to the ground around me.

The sun takes a long time in the later months to come over the hilltops and trees. As it comes up slowly, it lights up the colors of the trees across the meadow. 

[This is a section that hasn't been logged yet so there are still quite a few oaks as well as other colorful trees]

15 minutes later, I could see through our trees across to the meadow floor. The deer usually come out along these woods late in the day when the sun shines directly into the area where the green leaves are. 

I found a spot to sit down in my coveralls and watch our meadow as the sun slowly came up over the trees.

The only sounds I heard were some crows calling and flying overhead, along with the whisper of locust leaves and some oak leaves drifting down.

Off to my west I could hear a deer snort and blow. Either it scented me or something else had disturbed it. I waited.

The Queen Anne's Lace was delicately decorated with frost.

The Vervain that I was sitting next to reflected the morning color hues.

Finally the sun was high enough to shine on our meadow and I waited. Most mornings, the does will come out and cross our meadow and browse quietly before jumping our fence and heading east into the neighbor's land.

They didn't this time. So I took a few more 'frosty' photos and decided to check our trail cam which I'd set out a couple of weeks ago. According to the time strip, on the trail cam, this guy was in the woods west of me.

He sure is a pretty one.

Here he is a few days earlier. 

However, I looked through about 200+ photos of deer and we have quite a few who like to come and either sleep in front of the camera or wander through. 

I did see a short video of one buck chasing girls, so it is obvious that the rut season is on.

The day broke wide open and I hunted up a tiny bit of color.

A blackberry bush that had climbed the barbed wire fence and was glowing from the morning sun.

What a brilliant morning to be alive.

 

Turn the page

Here it is. November. 

I promise not to get glum.

However, historically, I have not liked November. I say this each year. I'm going to go out and find something I like in the landscape of November.

I have to look a bit harder, but I'm sure I can find beauty around me.

That is, until the period of time I can't go out for walks in any of my usual haunts for 10 days during the WI Deer Gun Season.

I don't want to complain, as the deer herd does need to be managed. But.....

November 22-30th is when the majority of the gun hunters are out. December 1-10th is the muzzleloader antlerless hunt. 
December 11-14th is a special antlerless gun hunt.
December 24th through Jan 1 is another special antlerless Holiday Gun Hunt.

If that isn't enough, Bow Season lasts through January 4th.

Uffdah.

The 10 day season is the worst.

However, the folks that end up on the land east of me during the other seasons keep me on edge. They don't always know that a barbed wire fence means property lines. Go figure. 

Sometimes I dislike living in such a rural area. However, there is till amazing beauty all around and this year I will have to make some special efforts to deal with it.

Below are a few of the last blast of some of the plants in our woods. Maybe not gorgeous like the full fall colors, but still interesting enough for me to stop and take a look.

I spent most of the day yesterday with another gal friend. We enjoyed an afternoon of fun things. 

November also holds the promises of all sorts of Holiday Fairs and Craft Shows that I can visit. I'll have to keep busy. These are things I couldn't do for the past several years.

So even if November is the time of less color outside, a time of weather change, and more...darkness, I promise to find something fun to keep the spirits up.

Glorious sunrises always do help.