Tuesday, October 31, 2023

The Last Day of October

 


Late October. The air is crisp and clear. Frosty mornings that melt into sun-drenched afternoons. Leaves, gold, red, and brown carpet the wooded trails. They ruffle the edges of the road, and I cannot resist scuffling in them. 


We put out our birdfeeder over the weekend and birds of all feathers came to visit - sleek nuthatches, tiny bushtits, scrappy sparrows and House Finches, chickadees and Spotted Towhees. A Northern Flicker stopped by several times, along with a Stellar's Jay. It was a bird party, or maybe a conference to discuss the arrival of the cold. 


My parents were here over the weekend and what a good time we had. Lots of family visiting, a puzzle to work on, games to play, and lunch out at a restaurant overlooking white sailboats perfectly reflected in the still blue water. 


Yesterday was my birthday. A fairly quiet day, with a promise of celebrations in a couple of weeks together with a couple of other family members. Lots of loving messages and greetings came my way. Now it's Halloween. Fewer trick or treaters than last year. In the distance I hear the crackle and pop of fireworks. 

And so ends October. Tomorrow is November, a quiet month, although the calendar is beginning to fill up with a few fun things. Soon it will be time to think of Christmas preparations, but for tonight I'm admiring the flickering candle on the table and the low flame in the fireplace. 


26 comments:

  1. Anonymous9:13 PM

    Belated Birthday wishes!! You just missed being born on Halloween. Outside I still hear firecrackers and fireworks. No doubt they'll go on until midnight. I'm ready for the new month to begin. Granny M

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  2. We have had no frost here, as yet, but it will surely come. We are poised for yet another storm heading across the country, but hopefully it will fly high over our heads - fingers crossed. For the last few days we have been away and have enjoyed some gloriously sunny and blue sky days.
    Happy belated birthday LorrieX

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  3. Belated best wishes! We are putting out a feeder this week too.

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  4. Many happy returns of your birthday! I love all your Autumn pictures: leaves, birds, fruit.
    Wishing you a happy November month!

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  5. I'm glad you had a good birthday! I didn't realize you were an October baby, too! I love this time of year, even with the beauty waning and the coming of winter.

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  6. May you have many more happy birthdays, Lorrie. Enjoy the quietness of November. The year is going by so fast.

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  7. Happy Birthday to you, Lorrie! Our feeder has been a busy place of late, too.

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  8. Happy belated birthday greetings to you. Oh, thanks for the reminder that it's a good time to feed the birds. Happy November to you.

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  9. Happy Birthday, a day late but still happy. (I'm a big one for extending the merriment as long as possible and it sounds like that's in your cards, too!). I got the bird feeders back in business too and Lizzie is happy. Love those frosty leaves!

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  10. Belated birthday greetings to you, dear Lorrie.
    How nice to have such a variety of birds show up to your feeder. We recently put out the suet feeder now that it's getting cold here. I hope to see some woodpeckers soon.
    Enjoy all that November has to offer.

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  11. It’s looking beautiful in your corner. Happy birthday to you. B x

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  12. Happy Birthday! and Happy November! I love these glimpses into your beautiful world.

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  13. Belated happy birthday greetings!
    Your end of October sounds lovely. May November be as happy and beautiful!
    The little birds in your photos look very cute.
    We have about 10 cm of snow now and Christmas seems to be just around the corner.

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  14. Happy Birthday Lorrie! What a lovely selection of bird visitors you have, and how pretty are the frosty leaves. Winter is definitely on the way for you. Your bowl of apples looks so pretty on your beautiful quilt.

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  15. A very Happy Birthday 🎂 ! We also put our bird feeders outside, but with the storm the birds are all protecting themselves somewhere. Now it is nearly dark and the storm is going north.

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  16. Happy Birthday, Lorrie! May God bless your year ahead!

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  17. Marilyn M3:17 PM

    Happy belated birthday! Sounds special with family! You get the same birds we get here in Oregon. We love watching them. And yes, beginning to think of Christmas coming and making preparations.

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  18. Happy (belated) birthday, Lorrie! I have learned to love extended celebrations . . . a little now, a little later. It prolongs the occasion! May you enjoy the quieter, cozier November days!

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  19. You capture the best bird pictures, Lorrie, and water fowl! And write so appreciatively of them. Your birthday is in a week where there are also so many birthdays in my own family--two sons, my mother, and a great-grandson. What a joy it must have been to have your parents there with you! I've always felt, from "meeting" them here on your blog, that I could have a wonderful sit down visit with your mom.

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  20. Happy Belated Birthday, Lorrie 🎂
    I am always delighted by the glimpses into your beautiful world.

    Hugs and blessings

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  21. Happy Belated Birthday! I love your photos — so cozy and autumnish!

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  22. Great to see so many birds coming to your feeders. Makes life a whole lot more pleasant. My wife (a quilter) was admiring the centrepiece upon which the bowl of apples rests.

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  23. It’s always fun for me to see the different birds that you have in your area, Lorrie. How fun to have your parents over to enjoy time with them. Happy Belated Birthday wishes are sent to you!
    Also in your previous post, how lucky you are to be able to visit Butchart Gardens on a regular basis. I’d be a regular! Happy November!

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  24. Lorrie - belated Happy Birthday! I have been away from blogging since June - a very busy summer and fall! So glad to have a few moments to catch up with blogging buddies and see what everyone has been up to! Enjoy this quiet time before the holidays!

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  25. a belated happy birthday to you. We are heading into a hot dry summer now, tho weirdly we are having a fair bit of rain over the next few days. El Nino is not kind to our gardens.

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  26. One of the things that is strange to me is that the birds around my home still take baths on 40 degree weather!!

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