Today at Iten's Acres: October 19, 2012

Today at Iten's Acres:
The rain and wind of October has turned many of the trees bare. But not all! There are tons of yellow, orangish maples and birches everywhere. The pin oak is a gorgeous scarlet. The stars of these days are the burning bushes. Burning, indeed! I need a couple more thousand of those. =)
Not much flower wise these days. The monkshood are few but the deepest purple. And tall enough to be easily seen and admired. There are also a few purple asters still around but not many. I'm still waiting for the fall crocus. They should have started to bloom already, but it hasn't happened. You can't predict them because they send up their foliage in the spring, and in the fall all you get some morning is a soft lilac bloom that seems to appear out of nowhere. A lovely surprise on a cool autumn walk of the Acres.
The Homesteader is getting a little bolder. She'll follow me around if I stay near the house to work or if I'm walking through the trees behind the house. Her boldness is probably not a good idea, but what can you do. She is still wise enough to spend her nights in the "rafters" of the shed. And she's an avid bird watcher. There are plenty of them around these days. Perhaps the bare trees make them more visible. Ornery black capped chickadees and their traveling companions the titmouse are active and noisy. Faded goldfinch are about. Sparrows are everywhere. God's got His eye on them. The towhee is scratching like a chicken in the leaves. The woodpeckers are all over the suet cakes. Even a few bluebirds have snacked there. I thought they'd be headed South by now. The berries on the dogwoods and hawthorn are doing their best to tempt my feathered friends. The crab apples as well. The cardinals--when they're not busy playing the Giants--are snacking on them already. Hope the cedar waxwings find them again this fall or winter. Oh, and as mentioned earlier, the ominous snowbirds have arrived. Entertainment for Mom and the Homesteader. Who needs television? God's creation has the best show on earth. Hands down.