freeze

 

 

“Our life is an apprenticeship to the truth, that around every circle another can be drawn; that there is no end in nature, but every end is a beginning; that there is always another dawn risen on mid-noon, and under every deep a lower deep opens.”

—	Ralph Waldo Emerson | from the Great River.

Two nights of  temperatures of 22 degrees reduced my blooming plants to these sad, saggy, brown messes. In earlier years, they would have been long gone, but a warm fall gave me lagniappe and lulled me into the expectancy that they would go on forever.

They will return in proper time, and in the meanwhile my winter hummer will have to drink from the bottles of nectar that hang from the eaves of the house.

lake's edge

 

 

 

 

 

Lake Pontchartrain has always been a part of my life. In my youth, I lived on it's south shore. My family fished, swam, boated and usually wound up there just to gaze and watch boats on leisurely afternoons.

Now I live on the north shore of the lake, actually far north in the pine hills. But I still gravitate toward it for soul restoration.

 A quick trip there with my camera found boats, colorful marshes, a willet, coots, and a rail.

Across 25 miles of water, the city of New Orleans floats into silvery view.

cloud atlas

 

 

 

 

 

 

It seems I'm always watching the sky--birding, astronomy, weather.

I guess my head is in the clouds.

I don't have a dslr camera. My photos all come from "point and shoots"-- many of them now from my phone.

There have been some spectacular phenomena over our heads in recent months, lots of sun dogs and ice rings around the sun and moon---- fiery and peachy sunsets and sun rises.

Wondrous sights to behold!

pumpkin pies

 

 

It's time to process the raw pumpkin for the Thanksgiving pies. Every year we declare this is the last time!---Canned pumpkin next year.


But we wrestle another pumpkin into pulp, store it in bags, and make our pies from scratch.
I even played some Christmas music while I did it--I've never done that before. 

  

50 years ago--JFK--Nov. 22

So many things have been said about this day. I still cannot remember the events without a heavy feeling in my heart and a sense of great loss.

Young and idealistic we thought we could change the world for the better:



The New Frontier

"Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country."

"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things. Not because they are easy, but because they are hard.” 

the peace corps

civil rights

Camelot...

 

 Some say that if John Kennedy had lived he would have lost the luster, but we will never know.

central texas, driving back roads

creeks flow after the rains

Lake LBJ, created by dams which back up the river

rocky cliffs and cactus 

can you see the red tailed hawk perched on the ledge?
a little to the right of center

deer at our birdbath

last of about 20 turkeys that crossed the road ahead of us

roads with no fences

One of my greatest joys when we visit Texas is to drive back roads, those that often have no fences. There is usually very little traffic, and our only company are the cattle and wildlife. These are private properties, but the roads go through with the expectation that you will  not trespass out of your car.
 That's good enough for me since the temperatures are often hovering near 100 degrees.

On our last trip there had been some recent rains, and the creeks were running and the vegetation had greened.

winter veggies

Cooler weather and morning frosts have made the winter veggies perk up with vigorous growth.

Turnips, Brussels sprouts, pak choy, green onions, cauliflower, various loose leaf lettuces, parsley--all of these grow well in the mild Louisiana winter. However, a strong cold front can wipe them out overnight. It's worth the risk, though, and I enjoy this garden where I can work without sweating or fearing for sun stroke, or adding to my skin cancer risk.
The weeds are mostly dormant, and those that come up are easily wiped out with a chop or two of the hoe. Insects are less of a problem, too.

It's a more leisurely kind of gardening, and the green is pleasant to the eye in the brown landscape.

freeze report

So far the flowers only seem to be nipped around the edges. As the day goes on, I think more damage will show up. The lawns were frosty as snow, and no doubt they will turn brown now.
Actually it's a late frost and freeze, and the shock was in how quickly the cold front blew in.
It's going to be a warm up now.

Louisiana winters can be fickle, but I like it that way.

Lil's chrysanthemums

Another look at Lil's chrysanthemum.....

When we moved to our current location in the fall, 47 years ago, these unassuming plants were blooming up against the north side of the house. I was happy to have a few flowers to pick for the Thanksgiving table.

Mostly they have been left alone. A few were transplanted to different flowerbeds, but the original cluster of plants is still there. Cheery, sturdy, not asking much--they still give me great joy.

Lil was the lady who planted them, and I think of her every time they bloom.

good bye summer

 

 

 

 

 

 Quick! Smell the roses, admire the daisies, salvias, firespike flowers, Lil's chrysanthemums and take some photos!

See the ring around the sun?  Ice crystals---the cold front is coming!

Fierce winds are blowing. Tomorrow all this color will be gone.
Freeze predicted for tonight. There was not even a warning frost this autumn---just winter.

Elijah helped me blow out the candles on the cake

 

a rare western visitor

On returning from a shopping trip, I spied this guy sitting first on the fence and then later on the power lines. It's a scissor tailed flycatcher. Probably a juvenile because the adult tails are much longer. After positively identifying him, I rushed to the house for the camera and hoped he would stick long enough for a photo.
I walked back down the drive, and he was still there. I managed a few distant shots in the overcast twilight.

They are residents of western states, but sometimes get pushed too far east in storms with strong west winds.
Many years ago, before internet, twitter, digital cameras, etc, a pair actually nested within a mile of my house. What a great record that would have been if there had been a way to report it! I do have some dim photos of the family that I took with my little point and shot film camera.