Discovering November

Well I must say these past two weeks have flown by and yet somehow stood still at the same time.  I guess we wanted to hurry up and move, but also needed the time to do it.

We've had cold, wet and windy days, we've seen snow squalls and hail, and we have enjoyed sunshine and warm temperatures that made us think of summer again.  One day this week I could not get enough of being outside, it was so warm and pleasant, and I was out in a long sleeve shirt and jeans. The next day I woke up to snow, and was back to wearing a winter jacket and gloves and toque. Typical November weather I guess.  We watched the weather carefully these last two weeks though, as Rob was in the process of transferring the last of our stuff, and didn't want to load or unload in the rain if possible. For a while it looked like that wasn't a possibility, but the weather suddenly changed in our favour.

We were incredibly fortunate that two of our neighbours, Sam and Dane, gave up an entire day for us and moved our heaviest stuff last week.  We are so excited to be on this new adventure, that we don't really think we will miss much about our lives all those years in the village, but there is no question that we had some truly wonderful neighbours, and we will miss them.

Although I walk with Jet 3 or 4 times a day, it is still not possible to spend time taking photos while I am out with him. He really requires lots of attention, and isn't one to stand quietly (you can probably hear Jet sighing now - because I am going to say that he doesn't stand quietly - NOT LIKE THE LAST DOG .....)  But it's true. Zuni would stand still, on leash, for ages, and quietly, while I approached herons, rabbits, beavers - you name it.  This is definitely not Jet's style. At least not yet.

So after we finish playing with him, and walking him, I usually go out by myself with my camera and have a good long walk. This is such a different time of year, and I haven't spent much time here in November before so I find it really wonderful to be able to wander around.  With most of the leaves gone, we can see the reflection off the river from many different parts of the woods. We can see much deeper into the woods, and walk more easily into areas that are usually too thick with vegetation during the summer (and thick with poison ivy!)

I can also clearly see the paths that the deer use. And other animals. There is a lot of "scat" around. (I'll spare you the photos)  My brother pointed out that during the winter I will be able to see a lot more tracks in the snow, and I'm looking forward to that. I'm not very good at "scat tracking", but maybe this winter I will be able to use the combination of tracks and scat to figure out what is living in the area around us.

The grey and brown tones of November always seem to make me somewhat reflective. One of my Flickr friends says I should view the falling of the leaves as replenishing the soil ready for spring growth, and I am trying, but I still find it to be a rather bleak month.  The sun is low in the sky, the shadows are long, the days are short, and the birds are few and far between. With this view I walked this week, and tried to look closer at the natural world around me with a different eye. Sure enough, I have discovered that there are logs lying in the fields and forest that are covered with a multitude of lichens and mosses. I will have to read up on it as I don't have a clue what I am looking at. But they are beautiful, in a variety of colours and shapes and sizes. Some of them make me think of coral.

Yesterday Rob and I heard the sound of the Ravens, and looked up to see 15 of them just above the cabin. The talked, they soared, they barrel rolled. Talked some more. They circled around and around, before they flew off, mostly in groups of two, but some in three's or four's, and slowly went off in different directions. I didn't take any photos. I simply stood holding my breath I think, and watching, in awe of them. I've never seen a group like that before.

Later in the afternoon, I heard Ravens in the forest on the other side of the main road, making a variety of sounds I have never heard before. Then 2 flew up, joined by 3 smaller ones who I guess were juveniles, and they proceeded to fly and talk, and roll and it was just amazing to watch. The two adults flew side by side in a variety of movements (sort of like watching the Snowbirds in action - but much better !) One of the younger ones flew higher and higher and further and further away, and I could hear the adults talking as they disappeared over the trees. Then some urgent sounding calls. Maybe calling that young one back?

I took some photos of them flying as I think I would like to play with the silhouettes and then print them onto fabric. Of course, I will have to make an effort this winter to learn a bit about photoshop first! This is just one I played with for a little while.

Walking back I was smiling, feeling pretty fortunate to have the time to watch these activities. Then a flash of red in the trees next to me made me stop as a brightly coloured bird flew past. I watched for a while and a more yellowish, olive coloured one followed. I took some photos and looked them up, and it seems they are Pine Grosbeaks, a male and female. Pretty common, but I've never seen one! It's a fuzzy shot as he was hiding mostly behind the branches, but came out long enough that I could see his wings and the bands of white on them.

I also discovered one of the "No Hunting" signs that our friend Frank erected on our property years ago in an attempt to keep the deer safe.  I was surprised to find it, or what is left of it. It is high on an enormous pine tree, and so many trees have grown up in front of it since, that you would never know that you could once see the sign from one of our roads.  I miss Frank, but it made me feel like a bit of his spirit lives on in these woods.

We visit the area where we hope to build almost every day. It's good to see the changes in the sun and shadows, as we are hoping to harness some of that solar energy and need to know how much the sun changes with the seasons.  Although we are still in drought conditions, the river is finally higher, whether due to the rains or changes at the dams further upstream.  I can no longer stand on the rocks in the river, so have to be content to stand at the shoreline.

 

 

Last week I spotted a coyote in the field where the cattle usually are. I of course look for it there every day now, but haven't seen it again. As soon as it saw me, it ran off across the field. We hear them howling most evenings and again in the early morning. It's an amazing sound.  The other day when I looked there were no cattle or coyotes. But I kept feeling like someone was watching me. Sure enough when I got past the treeline, there was one lone cow in the field. He ran off bawling for the others a few minutes later.

I spend a lot of time in this area as the birds seem to stop here on their migration routes, and there is a good view this time of year across the fields. I also discovered that with the leaves gone, I can see the main road, and catch sight of Rob's truck a few kilometers away when he's coming home! You can just see a glimpse of the road on the left, but I now know that I can see it again on the far right as well.

We had heavy snow squalls one day last week, and I stood here and watched as they came over the tree line and up the hill. Wished I had my camera, it was quite a sight.  We had snow again this week, and in the areas where the sun doesn't shine through, it has stayed. It stayed on the roof of the shed for quite a while. We want to put solar panels here, so obviously this is the wrong side of the roof to use!

The ground was hard and crunchy this morning as we had a deep frost, and my feet were cold in my shoes when I was walking Jet.  But I am snug and warm in the cabin, the sun is shining through the windows, I can see the river flowing, and every now and then a chickadee lands in the tree outside. I think we are going to have some nice days in here this winter. We already have some books on the shelf ready to read, books on wood working, photoshop, digital photography, tree care, forest management, timber framing, house design.... and lots more!  We are almost ready to hunker down, put our feet up, and get ready for our next project.