First snow

November was very warm, sunny, and dry - unusual from most years. We enjoyed golf and late day walks almost every day. But we are paying for that now with a stretch of 2-3 weeks of really (for here) cold weather. The first snow on December 5 was a mere dusting. It was just enough to silhouette downed trees in the woods and create a filigree on evergreen trees.



Today, December 19, a monster snow storm moved up the east coast. We caught some of the back side of that storm. Fortunately, it was not enough to require shoveling our rather long driveway. Whew - close call. But the wet snow and calm winds combined to created a beautiful lacework of snow covered branches in Bittersweet Woods.



Gabbie and Tess loved it, racing through the fresh powder, leaving rooster tails of glittering snow dust behind them. They are the consumate explorers; all smells and sights take on a new aura in the snow. In a few days all of this will disappear. Time to enjoy it now.

The Visitor

It was the day before Thanksgiving and out in the yard...there was a creature stirring next to the house. Gabbie and Tess were alerted first. The leaf rustling kept them returning to a spot in the pine trees next to the neighbors' house. Then Suzanne saw it, standing proudly near the bradford pear tree. It was a big, plump, game bird with distinct brown markings, a fan shaped tail, and a small distinct crest of feathers on its head. Oddly, the dogs were curious but did not chase it. It apparently failed to register as "that's something we chase after" in their previous encounters database.

Thanksgiving morning dawned cold and frosty. Tess went on high alert gazing into the trees on the hill behind the house. I walked outside and saw the bird shuffling through leaves. I bolted back into the house and grabbed for the camera. The bird had walked on to a large horizontal branch of the sprawling osage tree. It stood like a sentry on the log quietly scanning the area. Daughter Amy and I climbed the hill and crept closer for a photo. We were able to move within 50 feet to take some remarkably clear pictures.





Some brief internet search inquiries confirmed that this was a female grouse. No other grouse family members were evident. She stayed on the long for nearly two hours and was still there when we returned from church. We named her Gertie - sorry, Mom, but I could not resist the alliterative name.

After that she disappeared, though there were two more furtive sightings. We still look for her and wonder what drew her to this fairly civilized section of Bittersweet Woods - so near our house, with dogs, vehicles, and humanoids wandering around in full view.

It was another fascinating glimpse into the beauty of Bittersweet Woods. What is going on in your section of Bittersweet Woods?

Why I like fall

We walked the dogs after I golfed and Suz added another section to an ongoing retaining wall construction project. Most of the leaves are down now after a cold front blew through yesterday. Greater visibility allowed Tess to glimpse the very tip of a white tail bobbing just over the hill from us. A deer. She zoomed across the creek and up the opposite hill. She was closing on the deer but fortunately she broke off the chase and returned to base. I said "fortunately" because deer can be dangerous when cornered.

The woods are so much more open now. The afternoon sun, now much lower in the sky, penetrates almost every corner of Bittersweet Woods. The leaf color seemed brighter this year, or maybe I was paying closer attention.

The Weather Channel this year has a segment called Why I Like Fall. These pictures suggest why I like fall. This year what caught my attention were the more subtle colors. Also, fall is usually less humid and has more bright, sunny days in our part of the country compared to other seasons.

Fall is almost over. Enjoy it while you can.

The osage tree

Osage trees grow in gnarly, twisting style. They have many branches and intimidating thorns. These qualities made them uniquely qualified as windbreak hedges on plains farms and as fences to keep cattle in place. Osage trees planted in a row produced a nearly impenetrable fence, sort of like natural barbed wire and chain link. The tree did not rust and was self maintaining.

Osage trees produce an inedible orange sized fruit in late summer and fall. They are called osage oranges or hedge apples. Squirrels like to pick them apart for the seeds and thereby reproducing the trees.




A part of Bittersweet Woods was a farm 50 years ago. There are several groups of osage trees in the woods which no doubt served as cattle fences. One incredible group of three large trees behind the house continue to grow despite being uprooted decades ago. The osage trees grow despite laying on the ground. Every year they project new large thorny branches up in the air, waiting to snatch our caps and snag our clothes as we mow the yard. The osage oranges begin dropping in August. Dozens of them roll down the hill into the back yard. Gabbie and Tess love to play with the oranges.



What amazes me is the hardiness of these trees. They grow no matter what. The wood is excellent firewood, burning slow and white hot, almost like coal. Osage wood is a bright yellow color. Cutting the wood produces bright yellow sawdust, cascading like gold dust over the ground and boots. The grain is so tough that it causes the cutting chain on a chainsaw to rub against the bar, generating occasional sparks.

I'd love to have more of this firewood. But the tree is so hardy, there are few opportunities to find dead or downed wood.

Osage is one of the unexpected curiosities that we discovered when we moved to Bittersweet Woods. It is with us all the time; I admire the tree for its hardiness. And every time we see an osage orange, it reminds us fondly of every dog we have owned since living here. They love to play with the oranges.

Change of seasons

The nice thing about living in the midwest is seeing the change of seasons. At least that is the response that we invoke when apologizing for the crummy cold, damp, gray portions of winter.

We are doing that change of season thing now, in October. Leaves are starting to drop. Firewood is piled up to record heights, thanks to 4 large tree blowdowns earlier in the summer. We've already enjoyed fires in the fireplace (that is the preferred location for fires). My favorite woods are locust and osage wood. They burn like coal - slowly with white hot coals and a low flame.

Soon most of the wildlife will be gone, or at least less obvious. Butterflies, birds, snakes, cicadas, crickets, hummingbirds, praying mantises (is that really the plural of mantis?, tree frogs, and other critters will vacate until spring. It will be quiet, except for the trickling stream, semi trucks on the interstate, and occasional winds whipping through the pine trees. Meanwhile, we'll recall our friendly (mostly) warm weather visitors with a few photos from this past summer. And look forward to seeing them again soon.









Click to enlarge and notice the spikes on the hind legs of this katydid - the spikes that produce the signature chirping/clicking sound.

But late fall and winter can be beautiful in its own way. Bright oranges, reds, and violet tones will blossom, then fade. Grays and browns will settle in. Evergreens stand out in their green or blue uniforms. Gabbie and Tess's white coats will be accented against the drab woods as they dart after deer.

It reminds me of the Mamas and Papas song California Dreamin, “all the leaves are brown,....and the sky is gray." Instead of California dreaming, we'll be dreaming of spring and summer which will come soon enough to Bittersweet Woods.