Tuesday

By the last days of October, the trees are typically bare. Even the giant maples, blighted in the past few years by a tar spots (a fungal disease), would have shriveled their leaves and dropped them into big piles.

But this year, everything is running just that much later. I've showed off the crab apple, which still has some lovely foliage, even on this next to last day of the month...






And our maples -- much healthier this year! -- are just now turning a delightful gold. With the burning bush burning away in crimson, it all looks rather lovely.






Breakfast is a little hurried as I have shopping to do and Ed has a meeting before him...






And animal care requires a bit more time: Stop Sign, after a two day absence, shows up again, belly decidedly smaller. She is hungry and meows incessantly. Immediately after, she rushes off, presumably to look after her babies, wherever they may be.


In the afternoon, I pick up this babe from school (Oh, how she would protest if she heard me call her that!). As we drive the few minutes to the farmette, she tells me -- I did not have a good day in school today. (She is very in touch with her feelings.) She explains a playground friend situation. I listen, offer some possible strategies for the future, trying hard not to make a big deal of what is likely a small event.

A storm rages as we pull up the farmette driveway.

First order of business at the farmhouse: check out grandma's cookie supply.






I have a question for her -- Snowdrop, I was putting away your toys last night and I see some are missing. Do you know where the rest of the (plastic) carrots are? There should be ten. There are only six.
Maybe ah-ah crawled up into the attic and put them there?

(Later, asking Ed to help fix a broken something or other...)






She launches a story... It again touches on hospitals. She jumps into the role of a nurse. Ed is curious why not a doctor.
She explains, possibly with thoughts of the books about an extended family in Africa that have been the go-to series for her for the last few weeks: I better be a nurse. That is my option. (?!) Or the old dad would be disappointed.  I am amused. She did not worry about disappointing "old teacher" today when she was told to put away her scattered outdoor clothing.






She settles into playing office again. It gets dark early now and of course, after this weekend, it will be darker even earlier.






No matter! We have lights shining brightly on the porch. Lovely little lights for the longer winter nights before us.