BS: Signs of Autumn

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Sep 23 - 03:34 AM

Here in Norfolk there are numerous oak trees. Now they're producing acorns, and as my husband drives me about in his nice car, acorns drop onto it, risking damaging the windscreen and the paintwork. Also, sweet little grey squirrels are scurrying about collecting them up for their hibernation snacks later in the year.
Actually, I love oak trees. They were planted a few hundred years ago all around the farmers' fields to mark the boundaries. But in Taverham (village near ours) they built a huge new supermarket (Aldi) and felled about ten gorgeous old oak trees. I actually shed a tear when I saw the stumps.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 14 Sep 23 - 06:05 PM

Thanks to that clear sky High pressure front the hurricane is getting pushed away; By next week the late sunshine will no longer come into the kitchen. The cat food will gradually want to stay in the can. I won't have to mow as much. I'll find my light jacket again. A final trim of bamboo and weeds will be done. maybe an oil change for the car. Plans will be made to budget for next year's big projects.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Mrrzy
Date: 14 Sep 23 - 06:02 PM

(Hands over ears) I can't hear you LALALALALA

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Sep 23 - 03:36 PM

Today I observed my first gust of autumn wind.
Can't miss it -- it's dry and withering, nothing like a summer wind.
And there are already dead leaves for the wind to blow around.

But at least the sun is shining in a clear blue sky.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 24 Nov 22 - 06:31 PM

I suppose chickadees in the trees is no sign of a season in particular.
It's just that when the trees are bare,
and the chickadees are scooting around checking out the bare branches,
they are that much easier to see as well as hear
(dee dee dee ... dee dee dee)

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 22 Nov 22 - 03:45 PM

THe army of leaf-blowers has conquered for another year.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 19 Nov 22 - 09:48 AM

Interesting how we've been discussing The Former Guy for several years on Mudcat in several (most now closed) threads but there is no current thread for Biden; there doesn't need to be one, but I thought I'd share this nice news in the signs of autumn thread - there will be what is probably a chilly wedding out on the South Lawn of the White House today, President Biden's granddaughter Naomi is getting married. A month out from the end of autumn, this had potential to be a warmer day; as it is, the forecast says mostly sunny, high near 45^o. The article and a couple of links look back at previous WH weddings. I imagine they'll put up some tents with those big heaters to keep the guests and celebrants comfortable. The rest of the festivities will move indoors for afternoon and evening.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 18 Nov 22 - 03:25 AM

Oh yes keberoxu, lots. There's a lovely riding school which also offers 'livery' (stabling and care for other people's horses/ponies).
My sweet neighbour, the vet. nurse and shepherdess, has her own mare called Eleisha, and this mare detests that statue and tries to gallop off with Stacey on board clinging to the reins! She offered me a ride on Eleisha (I have ridden a lot during mt life!) but I haven't yet.
Another older neighbour, Ann, goes riding at the stables, and a long line of horses from the riding school parades past the bloomin' BamBam statue, playing up like anything.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 17 Nov 22 - 06:59 PM

Now, there's a question for you, Senoufou:
Horses ridden past the village pub.
Are there that many riders in your part of the world?

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 17 Nov 22 - 03:12 AM

It's been pouring with rain for ages now. And in front of The Fox, our village pub, the statue of BamBam, the tame red deer that died a couple of years ago, has been set up a few weeks ago. It's life-size, and carved from oak. But in spite of having been stained a reddish brown, it seems to be changing colour under the downpour. A commemorative brass plaque is ready now to be attached to the plinth.
Trouble is, this statue freaks out all the horses that are ridden past The Fox. They all shy alarmingly when they spot it. (They were terrified of BamBam when he roamed around the village.)

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 15 Nov 22 - 07:18 PM

The snow is down to stay in Stratford, Ontario — for once, arriving after Remembrance Day — and true winter is beginning now.

Autumn was remarkably warm this year, with people running around in shorts even after Hallowe’en. The birds weren’t fooled, though; most of the Canada geese have gone to crap in the parks of our neighbours to the south, and I haven’t seen a robin in weeks.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Nov 22 - 04:46 PM

and the bagpipe drone of the leaf-blowers
continued bright and early this morning.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 14 Nov 22 - 10:07 AM

This weekend I removed a lot of plants killed in the first freeze of the year and I used the trimmer to clean around the driveway and have given myself a stuffy nose. I imagine the last of the pollen was lying in wait to be stirred up.

Here in North Texas it's an odd "switch" to winter - we don't have much of an autumn, what we have are nice summery days, a couple of which are clear and brisk and sometimes happen when the trees are a little colorful, and then the switch is flipped and it's cold. That's where we are now, but without the interesting looking trees. Spring is a bit better than fall for gradual changes.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 12 Nov 22 - 12:36 PM

> it decided to get cold

Point of order: what is this "it" that gets cold or does the raining? Some sort of down-at-heel* weather deity that can't even afford a gender, perhaps? This has been mystifying me for Simply Ages.

* I nearly said "denatured", but that would have been cruel and unusual.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 12 Nov 22 - 09:41 AM

Keb, last night we had our first freeze, so things will start to look fall-like soon. I'll be pulling the sweet potato vines out of the beds now that they've had a killing frost and across the road the hackberry and cedar elm will turn yellowish brown. I picked the tomatoes, peppers, and eggplant in the cold rain yesterday.

The leaves Patty describes are reminiscent of colors I've seen on drives to and from Texas to Washington state in the fall. Eastern Utah, (on the way from Dinosaur Natl. Park in Colorado) and the highlands east of Mt. Shasta in N. California, and the Cascades around Blewett Pass in Washington come to mind. Birch and cottonwood both turn an amazing yellow.

I worked in New York City for a few years and used to drive out on Long Island and up into the Catskills during the fall and the Eastern Hardwood forests never failed to impress. In drives to and from NY to the SE US I've passed through Arkansas, where they have a lot of sweetgum in their hardwood forests and they're great spots of vivid red, the same as they are through Pennsylvania.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: pattyClink
Date: 10 Nov 22 - 09:53 PM

Today I was awestruck by the trees lit up all along the Rio Hondo in New Mexico, up near Lincoln along US 380. Only yellow and amber leaves need apply. Most seem to be cottonwoods, but there are also enormous tall Lombardy poplars. A really great drive, and you cannot capture a bit of it in photos.   

The other sign of autumn is it decided to get cold today, drat.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 10 Nov 22 - 06:20 PM

The latest full moon was called a Blood Moon by some reports,
coinciding with the mid-term election in the US
which was supposed to feature a red wave.
One announcer mispronounced it and said it was a rave. Hmmm.

Stilly, is it anything like autumn in Fort Worth?

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 15 Oct 22 - 04:12 AM

A very large flock of Canada geese flew over the village yesterday, long necks outstretched, with the 'leader' of the V-shaped formation honking away like mad. They were heading for the 'other' lakes (we have several groups of lakes around here) and I was so pleased to see them.
I hope they pass the winter months safely.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 14 Oct 22 - 11:42 AM

> the landscape maintenance crews appear to collect the leaves,
> most all of them with leaf-blowing machines.

I trust they've got other tools .... ? Round here, the crews turn up with leaf blowers, redistribute the leaves around the landscape, and go away again.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 14 Oct 22 - 04:28 AM

With the autumn foliage,
the leaves begin falling in earnest,
and the landscape maintenance crews appear to collect the leaves,
most all of them with leaf-blowing machines.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 10 Oct 22 - 06:52 AM

The full Hunter's moon appeared this morning.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 09 Oct 22 - 06:55 PM

I always remember (imperfectly, as I can't remember which of his books it was in) the mighty self-sufficiency guru John Seymour saying that human beings are at their healthiest when they are slightly cold... I've always agreed with that. Not really cold, just slightly cold.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 09 Oct 22 - 06:41 PM

I have to turn up the hot water for a shower since the water going into the hot water heater is wicked cold now.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 09 Oct 22 - 11:10 AM

It's almost time to wear a sweater or long-sleeve shirt over whatever t-shirt I put on for the day. All with jeans of some color. As the seasons progress the layers increase or the sleeves get longer. It's still t-shirt weather here, with the exception of the early morning hours. And I've put a light blanket on the bed over the top sheet.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 09 Oct 22 - 09:27 AM

I'm red/green colour-deficient, so I envy Herself when she glories aloud in the colour of leaves in autumn. My sign that autumn is approaching is that I don't need to put the butter dish in the fridge to stop the butter sprinting; winter is when the butter in the dish may as well have just come out of the fridge.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 09 Oct 22 - 06:46 AM

Reporting from the Berkshires:
Autumn/Fall Colo[u]r is in full swing over here,
and there are busloads and busloads of tourists
visiting the small towns and looking at the leaves.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 28 Sep 22 - 12:27 PM

Oh, and 300!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 28 Sep 22 - 12:27 PM

I painted my fence this this week - It is truly autumn. I always sing 'John Kanaka' while doing it. Particularly the verse

We're a Yankeee ship with a Yankee mate
John Kanaka-naka Too-ry-ay
If you slow to a walk he'll paint your fence
John Kanaka-naka Too-ry-ay

Is it paint your fence or change your gate? I can never remember

:-D

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 28 Sep 22 - 11:45 AM

Blimey. I didn't say take the meat out - I said leave the meat out. If you read Yotam's recipe you'll see that I was only reflecting what he said therein.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Mrrzy
Date: 28 Sep 22 - 10:29 AM

Taking meat out only makes things a side-dish if you aren't vegetarian, Steve! Since you were explaining how to make a main course vegetarian, in fact, that was a weird comment.

Sign of autumn: long-sleeved shirt! Socks!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 22 Sep 22 - 10:42 AM

It must be autumn - the Medicare annual coverage booklet has arrived in the mail.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 03:34 PM

High in the mid-90s today, but the quality of light in the evenings is the main clue that seasons are changing. Hot through Sunday, then into the 80s for a while. Here in North Texas we get maybe a week that has that wonderful crisp fall feeling - when there are bright blue skies and it's cool enough to wear a sweater but the leaves are still on the trees, not turning yet. Fall as far as leaves are concerned is a disorganized rout with some trees abandoning leaves early and others hanging on till deep winter. The term for those late-dropping trees is "marcescence" - when trees don't drop the old leaves until the new ones start to sprout. So it can mean a long season of raking/mulching in leaves.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Charmion
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 02:54 PM

Ground-level mist at dawn is an infallible early sign of autumn in southern Ontario.

When the night temperatures first start to drop toward freezing, mist forms as humidity rises from the summer-warm soil and water into the chilly air. The effect is particularly dramatic on the shores of the Great Lakes, which can look as if they’re coming up to the boil on an extra-nippy morning.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 21 Sep 22 - 08:11 AM

Its the last day of summer today. I'll do some car work today putting reflectors on the wheels and maybe wash the car. Hedging may be a bridge too far.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: MaJoC the Filk
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 10:32 AM

DtG:

> My late mother in law, bless her, was the master of over boiled veg.
> If the Christmas Dinner sprouts were not in the pan by 1st December,
> they were undercooked:-D

Did she add Epsom salts to the water? That was my late Nan's trick for keeping greens, erm, green while destruction-boiling them.

.... I've vague memories (stop laughing at the back there) of hearing that the Romans used to boil cabbage, throw it away, and drink the cabbage water as a hangover cure. Mebbe they'd heard of vitamins.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 04:44 AM

Well I shan't offer her any bloomin' fruit now. She's just given me laldy for daring to allow my husband to mow our lawns during that funeral. I'll give the pears and apples to someone else. And I can stroll down to the village shop myself to buy my paper.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 20 Sep 22 - 03:01 AM

My little pear tree in the corner of the garden (my 'cats' cemetery' is around it) is laden with luscious pears after the copious rain we've had recently. And my Bramley apple tree is now producing much larger, fleshier fruit than the weeny little windfalls that dropped on the lawn during the long drought.
I'm going to ask my neighbour-across-the-road this morning if she'd like to come over and harvest the lot for her grocery rounds.(She drives round many of the villages delivering grocery orders and fruit/vegetables.)
After my kind husband cut both lawns and tidied up the perennials yesterday, I'll get on with cutting back the two honeysuckles at the front door. In the Autumn they need pruning right back to encourage them to flower well next spring. And my two roses need hard pruning.
The good thing about all this Autumn work is that, once completed, one has a nice rest all winter with nothing whatsoever to do in the garden!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 02:34 PM

There's an Ottolenghi recipe for roasted cauliflower florets with olive oil, chorizo (in chunks), green olives (sliced), pumpkin seeds, onion (sliced), garlic (sliced, not crushed), parsley and paprika (preferably smoked) that we love. You just toss everything together with a bit of salt except for the parsley and roast on a big tray in the oven for half an hour (greaseproof paper recommended) and sprinkle the parsley on at the end. Veggies can leave out the chorizo and add extra paprika, but that makes it more of a side dish. It was in an article called Easy Ottolenghi in the Guardian in about 2016, I think. I might have posted it in a recipe thread here...

Next to no washing up!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Manitas_at_home
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 01:54 PM

We've taken to having cauliflower roasted. It's much nicer.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 01:41 PM

Recently I had my first taste of
brussel sprouts roasted in oil, with seasoning.
Never had it that way with my family upbringing.
I recommend it -- very appetizing.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 01:09 PM

My late aunt used to pre-boil cauliflower to within an inch of its life in order to save time later, then reboil it just before serving. I'll stop there to allow your horrified imaginations to run amok...

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 12:28 PM

Sister in law still insists that dried fruit has to soaked in sherry or brandy for a week before using it in the Christmas cake. Mind you, that may not be a bad thing...

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 12:24 PM

My late mother in law, bless her, was the master of over boiled veg. If the Christmas Dinner sprouts were not in the pan by 1st December, they were undercooked:-D

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Senoufou
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 11:56 AM

Oooh, I absolutely adore sprouts as long as they're not over-boiled. Just a few minutes in the pan, and they should still be bright green, not soggy and gone yellow after too long on the stove.
And of course, dripping with melted butter.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 18 Sep 22 - 10:41 AM

I have woken up to a heavy frost the last 2 mornings but the blackberries were still fine. Got a plastic takeaway box full this afternoon and then had a pint of the wonderful plum porter from Titanic brewery. Still got half a bottle of the local Co-op's Nero di Troia left from yesterday which I shall enjoy with my pork, spuds and green beans (or maybe sprouts :-) ) later.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Steve Shaw
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 11:00 AM

Eating a sprout in September is like drinking beer before it's been fermented. And I'm a sprout-lover! It's a lovely summery afternoon here today and I'm convalescing in the sun. It did go just under 5°C last night but we don't worry about frosts here in Kernow for several more weeks yet. Typically, not until well into November.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Donuel
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 10:37 AM

The Salmon are starting their migration from now to December.

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Dave the Gnome
Date: 17 Sep 22 - 02:42 AM

Proper frost this morning. I could pick my sprouts if I had grown any :-) As it is, may have a wander up to a local lane with lots of blackberries. A week back there were not really enough to harvest a bag full. I hope they have not now been spoiled!

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: keberoxu
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 03:04 PM

In North America where I grew up, the chestnut-tree thing happened,
only the tree was called a "buck-eye" tree
because of the 'conker's resemblance to the eye of a deer.
And the 'conkers' themselves were in fact called "buckeyes"
and we used to do the same thing Senoufou describes,
making a whole string of pierced buckeyes.
Goodness, that does bring back memories.
And yes, about this time of year,
the very old and tall buckeye tree in the front yard
would be shedding buckeyes all over the driveway,
where the passing cars would crush them . . .

Subject: RE: BS: Signs of Autumn
From: Stilly River Sage
Date: 16 Sep 22 - 12:57 PM

Army worms (the fall edition) are marching up trees to devour leaves and are spreading across lawns to eat turf grass. Fall in Texas.

The days are shorter and when I remember I forgot to pick the very fast-growing okra and go out at sunset I need to dodge the mosquitoes. Fewer cicadas making a racket now as the days shorten and I'm out picking or hunting for ripe tomatoes or ready-to-pick eggplant. The garden always perks up in the fall.