Fall is Here!

We had -6C overnight and the cold weather effects are becoming very noticeable! 

The Tamarack (Larch) are turning their bright yellow. It won't be long before the needles fall off. The Larch is the only Deciduous tree that loses its needles.

The small ponds are starting to get a slight crust of ice on them. The rest of the bush is getting very drab looking.

More larch in various states of shedding compared to a couple of White Spruce.

Even this slightly flowing creek is ice covered.

The local farmers have most of their crops up. The "baggie" takes the place of the barns or storage bins. I am assuming that they blow it into store it and suck it out into trucks when they take it to market. Some farmers are talking of wheat yields of 125 bushels per acre!

More ice scenes.

I disturbed several mallards on this pond. They must have paddled all night to keep the area open. Four in a row.

Winter seems to be approaching fast, even though it is early October. Snow is forecast for Saturday. I hope it is not the 50 cm the Manitoba and Saskatchewan got yesterday

First Day Out Hunting

It was a beautiful last day of summer with lots of colours.

 In some cases it was painful to the eyes.

 The only thing wrong with the day was the difficulty in seeing anything in the bush. The grass was waist high.

 The first critter to show up was this Red Squirrel. He was a very noisy squirrel!

 I decided to sit for a while overlooking a ravine, a likely choice for  deer to follow.

 I was looking for a big buck, so let them pass.

 Note: No critters were harmed on this trip! I think I will wait a few days for the leaves to fall before going out again.

Follow up to "I Said I wouldn't...But"

It's amazing the difference that a summer will make. This was the pile cleaned up this spring.

This is the same pile on Sept 25. By spring it will be even further broken down and ready to go to work in the garden.

Just to show that some things are prettier than a precompost and compost pile. Here is Brooklyn still trying to catch ducks. She swam across several times trying to get one.

 Boots was late getting up this morning. He spent a lot of time last night keeping the coyotes at bay.

Fall Scenes

Apple? Did you say apple? I'm coming. I love apples!

 First I have to get by Boots!

 I am the fearless horse watcher! You want an apple? Give the password!

 Meanwhile, back at the pond, Brooklyn is learning those pesky ducks can now fly the length of the pond!

 The trees are turning fast! Another night with the low temp being -3C ( 26F). Pretty soon they will be bare sticks.

 Why can't I catch a duck? I am bigger, smarter and cuter!

 Meanwhile, back at the ranch acreage, Mr. Coyote was enjoying some sun.

 He and I are going to have words if he doesn't quit yipping under my window at night!

Just in Time!

Yesterday, I listened to the weather forecast and decided to pick these. The forecast was for a severe frost warning!

 It only got to -1C (30F), but it was enough to wilt off the pole beans.

 It also got the bush beans.

 I figured that Brooklyn might not want to swim. This was a bad assumption. The ducks were enjoying the warmth of the sun on shore, but not for long.

 Around and around she went, trying to catch one of those pesky ducks.

Still in hot pursuit.

 The muskrat was not involved in the chase.

 Nor were these ducks that were hiding in the weeds.

 The ducks are getting very close to flight. There have also been several large flocks of Sand Hill Cranes way up high "V" ing their way south.

It would appear that fall is upon us!

A Nice Fall Day

It was a really nice day, with the ground drying up from the previous snow. It was too windy to ride a horse, but I did get a good ride yesterday. The fall colours are great, except most of the leaves are now off the trees. It was a good day to clean up the dry gulley to the left of the first picture and below.

 I am trying to encourage grass to grow in the area, but am fighting the dogwood shrubs and a whole bunch of willow suckers that just sort of refuse to die off. In the spring, if they come up again, it's time to hit them with a herbicide, much as I hate to do it. I am also clearing out the old dead-falls that I didn't clean up a couple of years ago. I don't like the balsam poplar trees much, as they don't dry out and are very heavy. They call them Bam  trees in this area, but I think it should be spelled with a "D".

There are still a few areas to finish cleaning up before the major snow fall hits on Saturday. The weather gurus have been wrong before, and I hope they are wrong again! I need some more horse time in before it gets slippery.