Tuesday, October 26, 2010

Around home....

Wait.  
Wait till the snow flies 
before you roll up the garden hoses
and empty the gas from the mowers
and take them to the barn
for the winter.

Wait.
Wait till the snow flies
before you pull in the hose and bucket
from the stock pond
and take up the pump
that has watered the garden all summer.

Wait.
Wait till the snow flies
before you push the wheel barrow back to the barn
and park it in it's same old spot
for mucking stalls and pens next spring.

Wait.
Wait till the snow flies
to finish digging the rest of the potatoes
and carrots.
They will keep better in the earth.

Wait.
Wait till the snow flies
before you pull the cabbages
They'll weather the storms and snows
No need to take them up yet unless
you need one for supper.

Wait.
Wait till the snow flies
before you dump out the geranium pots 
still in full bloom.
Wait till they wither and fade first.

Wait.
Wait till the snow flies
to gather in the wood
so we can have a crackling fire in the stove.

Wait.
Wait till the snow flies.

The first snow flurries fell today as I hustled around rolling up garden hoses and taking in the pots -- rosemary, ivy, and a little pepper plant.  I'll keep them alive inside while the outdoors gets colder and freezes down.  I always think that I'll overwinter the geraniums, but it never happens.  The red petals fall and stain the wood floor and then the leaves dry and get spindly and I end up dumping them after all.  I couldn't tip out the geraniums today though.  They're looking so glorious just now.  How do you tip out the pots when they look so happy and pretty?  I couldn't.  I may take them to the garage and save them awhile just in case the weather should warm up again.  For now, we're expecting a cold front and possible snow.  I don't think it'll be much snow, but snow nonetheless.

The wind is raging.  The weatherman predicts that we'll have 40 to 50 mile per hour gusts for the next few days.  That'll make the world outside seem even colder.  Did you see the feather tufts on the owl above?  They are blowing from west to east!  I'm taking my walks amongst the shelter belts now that the wind is so fierce.  The dogs and I scared up three white tail deer fawns and I nearly got run over.  They were so frightened that one hardly paid any attention to me as it ran by.

I've been bringing in armfuls of firewood from the garage to keep a fire going in the stove.  The cold wind seems to find its way in through the cracks and under the doors of our house.  The fire looks so pretty and brings extra comfort inside.  I've been burning a Hazelnut candle on the kitchen table.  Firelight seem to bring a feeling of coziness to our home on this gray, windy day.


I have been playing with some fuzzy yarn and made two hoot owls.  I think of them as owlets and not full-grown owls.  Remember the British granny who made pom pom animals?  I decided to take her lead and make owls.  I used two poms poms, tied them together and then used some felt scraps for eyes, ears, and wings.  One owlet has a felt beak and the other has a pine cone bract for a beak.  I snipped off the sharp parts before I glued it on in case small, tender fingers found it.  The owlets are so soft and cuddly, unlike real owls.  Hazel Peach took the white owl home with her this afternoon.

What's it like around your home today?

9 comments:

  1. It's warm and humid around my homestead, and will be warmer tomorrow. I can't believe you're getting snow! I have been baking and working on getting in a winter garden and hoping that one day it will actually be winter. Or at least a true fall.

    I love your owls. They look quite wise!

    xofrances

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  2. It is much the same here--it's been snowy and cold--windy and bleak. I think Winter is a comin' after this long, warmish Fall.

    Those pom pom owls almost made me choke up. My Grandma used to make us little pom poms to play with on strings all the time. She did a few stints with a humanitarian aid organization with my Grandpa in East Africa and Niue Island helping the people set up and run cattle ranches. She would make pom poms for the children in these parts to play with too. I really want to give these owls a shot. You just used a glue gun for the eyes and stuff?

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  3. What a fun post! I love your poem. You must be much colder "out in the prairie" than we are here in NC :) We had thunderstorms last night, finally (we needed rain), but today is that warm, muggy feel that sometimes comes in the fall. I'm ready for a chill in the air, a good sweater, and a fire!

    The owls are PRECIOUS. I like the one on the left better, but my daughter likes the one on the right. I like the layering on the eyes, and the wings, and their fluffiness. Must make some soon! I need fluffy yarn.

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  4. Oh I love those owls ;)
    So cute!

    We are doing some Halloween decorating today - should be all done soon ;)
    Cheers.
    Ella

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  5. Cute owls - real and toy :) The real one's "ear" tufts are really blowing! We are having a warmer day around here - 50 F with grey skies. We have a fire going even if it's not so cold. It's very cosy!

    Keep warm Jody :)

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  6. We don't normally ever get snow flurries, but we did get freezing temps last night, and my car had ice on it this morning. I think it's the first frost of the year. Maybe today I will build the first wood fire!

    ReplyDelete
  7. Love all your owls! The weather really is a changing...
    We are getting one dry day today surrounded by lots of wet days! :0)

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  8. Jody, those owls are super cute! I can't believe you already have snow. Do you guys have ants? Whenever I plant something in a pot with the idea of bringing it in I find ants living in the dirt. We detest them with a passion. Are they just a Texas thing?

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  9. At the moment it's mainly wet here in England. Lovely golden colours on the trees right now and when the skies are clear beautiful colours at dusk.
    I'm afraid I enjoy my geraniums for too long and have to replace the following season, but I love to see them blooming in the window box outside my kitchen window.
    Jody I absolutely adore your two owls; you are so clever :-)

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