NOVEMBER BLAHS

The days are shorter and the skies duller. Dog Days of November?? Up at Kemble, a Coast Guard cutter performs the annual bringin' in the buoys. Another flock of evening grosbeaks show up, somehow knowing that the buffet will soon be over. The house is being closed down for a while, so the fridge is emptied out and the leftovers go down the hill. The cars have blankies but would rather be on the road!

Back in Toronto the malls are decorated and we're caught in the grotesquerie of Black Friday mobs. The traditional seasonal wonder still lingers in the famous decorated windows. Can you see the reflection of our spirit?

At home in the Beach the leaves need to be gathered up, like putting away the summer's shade. Outdoor rinks get zamboni-ed. And the waves pound grey and cold. Blah!

SNOW TO SULPHUR

The Remembrance Day ceremonies at the Beach last Sunday were well attended. The band of veterans is aging but the honours were freshly solemn. Even little kids can sense the mood.

Elsewhere in the Beach the fallen leaves seem thicker than usual. And the snow fence has been put up. Seems early, and it will be there til April!

Back at Kemble, we need more than snow fence. Heavy snow has been falling off and on all week. The thermometer is drifting down under the load. Sunrise these days is low and grudging, as if it has cabin fever.

So out come the shovels for some heavy breathing exercise. Eventually a path down the hill is cleared. Better do those errands in town while we can!

The local wildlife is still out there and attention-grabbing. Turkeys are pigs. Cardinals are pretty. Squirrels can make you laugh.

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Is it winter or not? The ground, trees, and cars are deep in white. But this Clouded Sulphur butterfly is still wandering around bare legs. True Canadian??

100 YEARS OF REMEMBRANCE

Up the hill at Kemble the autumn leaves are death-diving like mythical lemmings. The evening grosbeaks haven't had their fill yet. But surprise! A flock of robins pass through in an hour, hurrying southbound.

Back in Toronto, construction and renovations go on continuously, like this stone slinger delivering gravel for a basement apartment-to-be across the street. Christmas lights are being strung in the parks. Indoors, the seamstress prepares colourful memories of Indonesia.

Within minutes we can stroll to the ravine, an alternate serene universe. Leaves have gone paintbox but don't want to drop just yet. The locals know how special this place is.

Today is the 100th anniversary of the end of combat in Europe in WWI, the so-called "War to end all Wars". It's a major remembrance in Canada, the era in which this country forged its separate identity with blood, sweat, and tears. Pat's father went as far as training in WWII, and my dad did training and was shipped out to the west coast, but fortunately our families were spared any further action. Not so the thousands of other Canadians, remembered today at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. We'll be at our local gathering, Lest We Forget.

OCTOBER INTO NOVEMBER

Clocks fell back overnight. But Fall is going forward up here on the hill. Sunrise can be pink-and-grey moody or eye-watering brilliant. Some leaves just don't want to go, like red oaks. By afternoon the sky is huge. And you could still spot Cinderella's Coaches in the grass!

October 31 brought frost, but not on the Great Pumpinski. Very scary. Also on this day in 1987 I took possession of 36 Wineva and started the biggest project of a lifetime. 31 years on the 31st!

There's a lot of phasing-out activity. Leaves to be raked. Clothesline and chairs taken in. Dozens of ash trees coming down, decimated by the invasive emerald ash borer. And repositioning confused frogs from small pond to large for the winter
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The annual massive winged migration is funneling past our windows! Many are to be expected like red-bellied woodpeckers and nuthatches. But unusually large, hungry, and aggressive flocks of evening grosbeaks. They've been gorging all week, about 5 pounds of seed per day!

Then, November 1. We re-watched the heartwarming movie Coco. About the "Day of the Dead" in our beloved Mexico. A misnomer, because it's really a celebration of the life of family, friends, and loved ones who have passed. I celebrate my father Walter. His immigration papers confirm his  birthday and ---bonus!--- include a hand-written list of his siblings. Gracias por mi vida, papa...