POT OF GOLD

Late October skies run the gamut from spook-tacular crisp moons to molten sunrises to moody scudding clouds...

But it's like a pot-of-gold around here as the autumn colours are at peak parade. It seems like the most vivid and brilliant in all the years we've been up the hill. Everything gets re-leafed daily, including the car and the pond. When the sun joins in, it's like red lollipops or yellow spun sugar.

Nobody's getting autumn-lazy yet. The mound of chips from the ash trees have to be loaded and ferried up. Most of them were used to finish the woodland trail. Pat took a break and volunteered at the library's book sale ---- she got first dibs on some bargains!

Did I say we're also getting record amounts of leaves and falling fruit? Will the Groundskeeper choose the new orange Stihl or the old-school green plastic to move them? Blisters or earplugs? Easy guess.

Another seasonal sight is the ChiCheemaun returning from ferry duty for the winter. Bittersweet as it heads south for a rest, past another October icon, and into port in town.

Then another awe-inspiring October sky. A very rare morning rainbow (evolving into an even rarer double arc) as bold and crisp as if it entered the colour contest on terra firma. No question where it was leading --- the pot of gold inside! Wood is the symbol for Year 6. That Lucky Boy has a PAT of gold...

WANT SALT WITH YOUR CHIPS?

Days are still getting shorter and chillier up here. It's time to think of nesting ---- but some have flown the coop already.

Autumn leaves in our area are as brilliant as anywhere we've seen. Very picturesque on the pond but the skimming guy has to scoop them up daily or they sink and rot. Can you see us up on top of the hill??

The chip pile has been spread over the new trail. Nice and spongy underfoot but immediately covered with leaves, like the pond. We brought in my Cement Mixer to work up a load for split rail fence posts.

Salt with those chips? The annual shipload of road salt arrived in the town harbour --- isn't that freighter riding low in the waves?? The self-unloader dumped a big green pile in a couple of hours and slipped away in the night. Sixty-foot tandem trailers hauled it away; we'll see it spread on Highway 6 soon enough...

Hallowe'en and La Dia del Muertos are many nights away but two spooky omens brought goose bumps to the hill. First there was a pumpkin face in the clouds --- see the eyes and mouth? Then a ghost figure stared at us on the deck. Boo!

THE ROAD TO THANKSGIVING (#1 of two posts today...)

Out for a road trip for leaf peeping! On the way, a stop at the Scarecrow Festival in Meaford. The theme this year is reading, in honour of the big new library coming to town. Lots of whimsy as the 'crows read in groups, at the porta-potty, on the ledge, etc., etc. Always fun to see. Then out to Bracebridge --- last spring the water was flooding up to the road level!! Lots of colour out there...

Back at home, lots of fall yard work. Clearing brush along the new path network. Planting a row of grasses. A toad emerges! A fish is relocated from small pond to large for the winter. And the chips are truly down...

It's Thanksgiving weekend in Canada. We're so grateful we live in the best country on the planet and we can work away with peace of mind. Do you prefer a wheelbarrow or a sewing machine? R whined so much that P finally made a pumpkin pie to fill the pie hole. And we're surrounded by exuberant fall colour.

It was also my mom's birthday --- if she didn't have a birthday, neither would I! And Canada's federal election is on, too. In our Advance Voting, I tried to honour Sophie Wyszynski by marking her X beside the candidate that had the needs of immigrant women in mind. What are you thankful for these days?

P.S. DON'T MISS TODAY'S SECOND POST ---- "3 ON THE TREE" and it's not a transmission...

#2 of two posts today: 3 ON THE TREE

A Special Event this week deserves its own blogspot. Sadly, our most prominent ash tree is dying of ash borer and had to be removed. Not an easy decision as it has centered our view since day 1. Here's a "before" picture.

The next 24 pictures chronicle the sequence of Woody's (great name, no??) work. Adam the Arborist climbs with the aid of spiked boots. Limbs are cut in specific order to leave footholds. Extra degree of difficulty --- the branches have to drop on the flat west side, not over the steep slope to the east.

The crew  on the ground drags away the limbs, but always with utmost safety in mind. Incredibly, one of them reads an actual book during the noise and snacking...

Back up the tree, Adam is awed by the view and pauses for panoramas and selfies. He says it's the most unique property he's seen in the counties. (Thanks, Adam, that's why we love living here...)

An 80 ft. tree comes with a lot of branches. The chipper had to be maneuvered carefully between flower beds. Put on the earmuffs!

And then the Main Event. The de-limbed trunk is dropped expertly onto the lawn. The earth shook.

Big cleanup follows, with all hands on deck. The ash wood is so heavy it had to be cut into 8" slabs instead of the usual 16".

A full day's work on the hill, and the trucks crawled down under load. But another big ash was taken out behind the barn. Much less drama but still a lot of expertise, grunt work, chipping, and loading.

Voila, a tree removed and a huge sky revealed. At dawn this morning a whole new vista, like seeing a movie in wide-screen panorama. Wow...