Before the Rain ...

I took a morning stroll.

I said 'hello' to my horses and watched the clouds roll!

I dreamed of those recent past summer days

but the crisp, autumn air was arriving in waves!

~TM

If there was ever a day that felt like the first day of Autumn ... today was truly the day!  Overcast, rainy, cold and dreary!  *sigh*  ... Good bye sweet September ... good bye warm days ...

Reflections

Just a quick snap on my way home this evening.  Up, nestled into the hill, this old house stands looking out at the eastern sky.  Ah, the sun rises that were viewed!  Such a pretty place!

Flight of the Honkers

I love migration, although I admit I prefer spring migration and the 'welcome back' in comparison to fall migration and the 'good bye!'  Either way, I find migration fascinating.    As each bird comes and goes, I would just love to know where they've been or where they are heading!  Aaaah ... the travel journals locked in their brains and the stories they could tell!  Although the big groups of birds from the 'great white north' are not yet heading south (at least not in big droves), the local birds are filling the air while moving from their feeding grounds to the safety of water.  There is something to be said about a sky filled with early morning 'honkers' ... it beats the large urban centre honking any day!

A Frosty Start ...

Brrr ... despite the crisp, frosty morning, beauty still reigns on the prairie 

and the robins are still here!  

But I don't think the Mountain Ash berries will last long!

Happy Friday and have a great weekend everyone!

Buzzing With Happiness

"Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadow. It's what sunflowers do."
~ Helen Keller

The frost has finally put an end to my zucchini!  Thank goodness!  However, those radiating sunny faces are still thriving and it would appear the bees are happy about that! Buzzing bees ... that makes me happy!

Farewell Warm Evenings

There is a harmony
In autumn, and a luster in its sky...
~Percy Bysshe Shelley

... And a 'crispness' in the air!  Brrr ... I love the warmth of the sun during the day but I'm not quite ready for these cooler temperatures as the sun fades at the end of the day!

Still Here ...

But Not For Long ...

The raptors are still here but they are certainly on a last minute feeding frenzy and getting set to head south!  Boo Hoo!  

Harvest On ...

Harvest is starting to wrap up on the prairies!  Just a few more acres to go and the canola will be done!  Hopefully we can tackle the flax sooner than later!  

The Honking Arrival of Autumn

The human spirit needs places where nature has not been rearranged by the hand of man.  

~Author Unknown

As the moon set for the day, Autumn officially arrived!  The landscape is full of delicious golds and the sky is beginning to fill with the 'honking' of migration.  

The LAST Official Day of Summer

There is something deep within us that sobs at endings. 

Why, God, does everything have to end? Why does all nature grow old? 

Why do spring and summer have to go? 

~ Joe Wheeler

Wow, another season has come and gone.  Fall is in the air and in the TREES!  

Good bye summer ... you were far too short but always sweet!

Happy Friday!

Flowers don't worry about how the're going to bloom.  

They just open up and turn toward the light and that makes them beautiful.  

~Jim Carrey

The combine is still slugging along in the canola field but I thought a sunflower was more suited on this beautiful Friday ... our 2nd last day of SUMMER.  Boo Hoo!  

Enjoy the last day of summer and have a great weekend everyone!  

In Between ...

Hmm ... stuck in between a gorgeous sunset to the west and a harvest moon rising in the east!  I won't complain, especially after waking up to frost this morning!  

Under The Almost Harvest Moon

Brrr .... WOW!  Who turned the summer heat off today?  Well, didn't we just get a taste of what is about to come weather wise!  Hmm ... it would appear our summer is coming to an end.  Overcast skies and a cold northwest wind howled all day BUT we finished the field peas and started on the canola!

A Room With A View

With our days getting shorter the sun rises a bit more reasonably!  Not that I don't mind getting up at 4:30 am but somehow, having a coffee in hand at 7:00am and listening to the morning commotion of the house waking while watching the sun rise is a bit more appealing!

A Few More Peas ...

By late afternoon Monday, my husband was giving 'combine operating' lessons to his boys!  I love watching my husband mentoring his two boys!  "Dad" is their hero and nothing means more to the boys than their Dad teaching them the ropes of farming!  This is the LAST field of peas!

Weekend of Wheels and BIG Noise!

After helping their Dad most of the day on Saturday, 'Mom' quickly packed and headed into Calgary to meet up with the boys Uncle!  What was supposed to be an 'ALL BOYS' night out ended up having a 'girl' tag along, since Dad was still in the field.  The boys' Uncle bought tickets to the 'Monster Truck Jam!'  Despite being very LOUD, even with ear plugs, the boys were thrilled and loved that they got to see their favourite trucks including 'Northern Nightmare!'

Sunday morning 'Dad' showed up in Calgary with dirt bikes in tow for the boys LAST AMSA (Alberta Motorsports Association) Motocross Race in Calgary.  The boys were excited and ended the year with smiles.  They had such fun, made some great friends, really improved and are looking forward to next year.

*I am slowly catching up on my posts since last week and I have yet to catch up on comments ... SORRY!  Here's hoping I get everything caught up soon!*  Have a great week ... what remains!

One Of Those Days ...

It was another gorgeous, hot late summer's day!  Perfect for combining peas ...

That is until you get a deer antler in the NEW tire one had to replace just 2 days ago.  

We shut it down for tonight but hopefully (fingers crossed) tomorrow 

will be smooth sailing!  

Twilight

Earth is here so kind, that just tickle her with a hoe and she laughs with a harvest.  

~Douglas William Jerrold

I know ... combine photos!  I apologize but seeing that the 'old girl' only gets to spin around the fields once a year I feel the need to 'capture the moment!'  Haha!  Honestly, I LOVE this time of night and listening to the hum of harvest across the land.  You can smell the crispness of the air, the crops coming off the fields and taste the dust in the air! After a few 'glitches' that required a parts run, the combine has made it to the next pea field!

After The Sun Goes Down ...

... A few more loads of peas come off the field.  

That is until the big, right front tire on the combine goes flat.  UGH!  

Put The Coffee On ...

As I quickly do up this post, the boiling water is being poured into our french press and the coffee is brewing!  Yes, good coffee is always a must!  I suspect it will be a long night ... or at least as long as we can go before the peas start to get tough!  Gotta run ...

Harvest 2013 In Full Swing

There have been many combines on the go for the last couple of weeks but today was the day that the 'old girl' ... our 9600 John Deere Combine headed to the first of our pea fields.  My husband has taken this week off work to get as much grain in the bins as he can.  With a bit of luck, the weather will cooperate, the 'old girl' will purr and our harvest will go without a hitch!  I'll warn you right now ... more harvest photos will follow!