#preparing for winter

[lilaccherry]

I crocheted this cat ear beanie! ♡

The only reason I learned how to crochet, was so I could make this beanie for myself ✌️ why spend money on a beanie when you can spend EVEN MORE MONEY on yarn, crochet hooks and needles! 😆🤗

[slaviccutie]

[herbalnature]

Autumn in Southeast Michigan wraps the ground in a vibrant carpet of fallen leaves, a true feast for the eyes. There's something so peaceful about the clear skies and the gentle dance of nature preparing for winter.

[littlepawz]

A woodpecker preparing for winter. First, he finds a dead tree and starts making holes for the acorns. Each hole is made very thoughtfully, because if the hole is large, other birds can easily steal the acorn. If the hole is narrow, the nut can break and deteriorate. By the end of summer, the woodpecker's "jewelry" work ends, by this time the acorns ripen and take their places in the tree. The trunk of a large tree can hold about 50,000 acorns, allowing the bird a satisfying winter.

[bonfires-n-hares]

garden produce by calicoandtwine

[viatafrumoasa-lifebeautiful]

We like to forage for food, but don't get the opportunity to find stuff like this very often! The handsome hubby saw this beautiful puffball, along with a couple others and stopped to investigate. Needless to say they came home with him, and we've had good eating for a few days! Dehydrated one of the three he brought home, so we're looking forward to wonderfully flavorful food all winter. (There were more than three, we do forage ethically!)

[johnschneiderblog]

Dismantling summer

This post-Labor Day trip to the cottage is mainly business, undoing what we did in the spring. Reversing the process.

In the past few day we've been as busy as the squirrels gathering acorns from beneath the oaks outside our window. In a sense, we're engaged in the same operation. We all know what's coming and are taking appropriate measures.

The screens are now out of the porch and stacked in the garage. The boat is winterized and tucked under its cover for a long nap. The beach umbrella is down; chairs and water toys hauled up and put away; firewood split and stacked and, in fact, already in use.

We're not ready yet to jump ship entirely. We'll be back next month for the colors. But, like the squirrels, we hear the footfalls of winter.

[misfit-mermaid-blood]

I can pretend I’m living the old farm country life sometimes... radio quietly in the background, daughter asleep in bed, starting to knit some winter gear for us 🥰

Fall themed scarf for her 2nd birthday, and will crochet the matching slippers soon after.