Tuesday, November 7, 2017

The Value Of Leaves And Flannel Shirts

On this rainy Tuesday morning with the background noise of traffic alerts messaged from my phone, the sound of distant thunder breaks through. I just heard a low rumbling of thunder but not five minutes ago, Buddy and I saw the light flash from lightning. Lightning that my weather alert just told me was about a mile away. The mist so heavy no discernible silhouettes of the mountains can be traced. The low valley fog covers everything. It is simply beautiful.

I am glad I took a quick pic of our maple tree the other morning because most of those red leaves are lying on the ground. When I took the trash can down to the road Sunday evening the fragrance of pine filled the air. The pine trees across the road are beginning to lose their needles or as it is called around the south, pine straw. The hint of pine straw invited me into remembering the Christmas season is not too far away. Thankfully, it did not throw me into a panic...Christmas coming soon. I am also glad that the fragrance of wild onions did not instill a sense of panic for me the day Mike the Mower Man cut the grass. Guess, the panic would have been overcooking a roast or something.  Our plumb trees and Bradford Pear Tree, which we should really have cut down according to gardeners in the area, is just now beginning the Baylor part of their season...where the leaves are both green and yellow. 

Last Wednesday on the way to get SequishShawn new shoes, a beautiful buck stood along the side of the road. Behind him, trees and before him, a large pasture of green, green grass. He wavered almost deciding to cross the road. Both the car coming towards me and I stopped to let this beautiful deer decide what to do. He chose to go back into the trees. Good choice...  One the Sunday that Beth was here we saw about five or six deer playing in the front yard of a home along the way. Such a special thing to see.

The Farmer's Almanac online today has an article, The Value of Leaves. Interesting because Roy and I had a conversation about leaves this past week. Yes, friends, our conversations are that edgy and real. He wants to bag up the leaves, I want to use them in flower beds and on the tier in the backyard. FA says use those leaves and even tells how to compost them for better usage. And that's where my brain kicks in and thinks, just another potential home for vermin...so no composting for me. Yesterday, I noticed yards covered to the exclusion of seeing grass with leaves and FA says too many leaves can smother your lawn. So basically, it seems like most things in life...it is all about moderation. It is also about burning yard waste as several fires were being watched with care, I hope, with people clearing all the limbs and leaves. These past few days of yellows and browns of the scenic landscape almost convinces me that these few days of autumn might be more spectacular than those coveted days of October color here in the lower elevations.

This past week was also monumental, at least for this child, in finding out how long 75% of propane in a tank lasts. Without even having to do math! Friday afternoon the generator guys came out to check on the generator, add oil, clean the elements and update the software. Who knew all those components are needed? Well, the generator guys. So that is when I asked about the propane to electrical factor after hearing that the propane tank is at 75%....which I have learned in propanage language is nearly capacity...that means that the electricity provided by generator could be used for two weeks. That there is some good news and news that I can use.

I have got to stop this cute flannel shirt obsession...maybe this spring. At Robin Blu yesterday they had the cutest flannel shirts but sized L/XL which usually means in the real world that is a medium. I was looked at it just for the cuteness sake. The clerk came up and made conversation about the shirt and I said this will not fit me...and she responded because you are so tall...I said no because I am so deep and wide. Oh no she exclaimed but I saved her by saying at least I am not as deep and wide as I used to be. So, when I went to Mast General Store afterwards, I found some of the cutest flannel shirts with good color combos and little details that make them different from farmer brown type flannel shirts...which I love wearing around the house. So yes, I bought two when back in the day I would have bought four. So as we bid a fond farewell to produce stand season, we welcome with open arms flannel shirt season.

No comments: