The Hawk, yesterday

Yowza! Hawk alert!!

This afternoon, I walked into my kitchen and glanced out the big window toward the marsh area and actually did a "startle" reaction.

Sitting there, on my railing, 4 feet from my kitchen window was the hawk.

I have no idea how long he'd been sitting there. But I watched him for at least 5 minutes, took lots of pictures, opened the garage door, backed the car out, and he was still sitting there!!

He is sooooo gorgeous. Gonna have to upload a picture of him!

First Snow!

Yes, it's only flurries, but the first snow falling from the sky, this season- this morning about 10:30 a.m.

Wow.

Is this early? Or normal??

Freeze!

Last night was our first freeze.

I haven't gotten dressed yet to go outside and look around, but the frost is still apparent in the shady areas. I ended up moving the cacti in a couple days ago; the geraniums are adapting to sunny windows; the begonia, for the moment, is in the garage, poor thing. And the petunia pots? The big one by the door, which I really should post a picture of, is protected by the overhang. The window boxes, well, the window boxes are at Mother Nature's mercy. Que sara, sara. I think they'll survive for at least a couple more weeks. Once we get past Halloween, I'll clean them out and put them away for the winter, maybe.

I'm rolling an idea around in my head for winter, too.....

The Hawk!

We have a hawk that frequents the neighborhood. He's been seen soaring fairly low overhead in lazy, slow loops. He also seems to like the next door neighbor's roofline. He'll perch up there, sometimes, surveying, it seems. It always excites me to see him around. He's so graceful and powerful.

Today, I glanced out the kitchen window and saw him sitting, not on the roofline, but the neighbor's deck railing! I laughed aloud, since he was right in front of the dining room window where her cat loves to sit, looking out. I said to Hubby, "Not sure who'd be more surprised, the hawk or Bailey [the cat]." I backed slowly into my dining room to grab my camera, murmuring the whole way, "please don't move, please don't move, please don't move...."

And he didn't. He sat right there and waited for me to snap off a couple shots, alas with the wide angle, not the zoom. Then, to my amazement, he flew right over to MY railing, right outside my kitchen window, so I got my own close up view of his gorgeousness!! What a beauty!!!

I snapped off a couple more, but my camera focused on the plants on my windowsill rather that the majestic bird outside the window. Dang it.

But, I got a good enough look to feel comfortable in identifying him as a Marsh Hawk, or Northern Harrier.

He is a beauty! And I feel so blessed by his visit. Now, does anyone know what that's an omen for???

Much cooler today....

Wow.

It's only about 5 degrees cooler this morning, but it feels like a lot more because it's damp and dank. No sun in the sky this morning.... no gentle sunrise colors.... no gradual warming.

Even the birds were late coming to the feeders this morning. Wonder what they think about the changing seasons....

So, the dilemma on my mind this morning is what to do about changing out the screen door to the storm door. Hubby put the storm door away in the spring, and I'm not sure I can get it out, and I'm really sure he can't- not with the healing hip, anyway. We may have to wait until he's cleared to walk without the walker to do the change which is fine, really. It won't get "that" cold before then; it just means I can't leave the front door open all day on the cool days. It's a small thing, I know, but one of the things I love about my house- leaving the front door open, letting the light stream in, hearing the birds chirp.

Patience is a virtue. I can wait. I can't promise patience, but I can wait.

The Last Days of Indian Summer

It's mid-October and the mild, sunny days of Indian Summer are drawing to a close, I fear. The forecast is for rain, cooler days and frosty nights by the weekend. I ponder the possibility of trying to overwinter some plants indoors by the sliding glass doors. Will they get enough light? Will the chill of being by the door be too much?

I'm still learning the Ohio gardening calendar. Last year this time I was giving away tropical plants in Houston, preparing for the move up north. The only plants I brought with me were a couple Christmas cacti and an Althea seedling. Everything else, all my beloved hibiscus, my tropical foliage plants, my cacti, I left behind in the loving care of friends and neighbors.

My plan for the immediate future is to protect my pansy pots, my rosemary, my geranium, and my begonia by pulling them up under the deck overhang. I guess it's time to bring the cacti in, probably. I figure there will still be more sunny, warmish days when the plants will enjoy being outside, but I should acclimate them to indoor living over the next couple weeks. If they survive the winter, Yay!! If not, no harm trying, right?

And, by the way, I've been seeing lots of brown and black furry caterpillars, lots of hawks, and lots of bees. Is that a sign?