November Farm Scenes

Took a stroll around the farm on the first day of November.  After several rainy days it stopped, the sun peaked out just as our single trick-or-treater stopped in. 

We only get great nephew Vince to stop by.  As kids get candy every place else, we try to prepare something different.  Some years we have given out microwave popcorn; some years colorful packets of instant lasagna and usually some trinket from the upstairs.  Knowing you will only have 1 visitor makes things a little easier!

This year it was popcorn, a couple of Hershey's candy bars, and from the upstairs,  a Magic Eye 3-D book of pictures that you have to cross your eyes to see; a plastic model Scott never put together, an old portable typewriter its case, and best of all, a bag of seven 1991 kids advertising tee shirts (twins 1991, North stars, Bart Simpson, U of MN -- ones I found in a box while cleaning the barn; washed and picked out those that looks decent).  We tried to give him the piano too, but didn't seem to have room for it this year.  

Indiana Jones stopped by.  I guessed he was Al Capone, but appears Vincent has never heard of him.  Scott guessed Indiana Jone, and that was right.

Got up this morning and set the clocks back and then with the temperature almost 50F and the mud likely to have subsided from the several days of rain, took a walk to Dub lake and around it and took some photos to remind me of November 1, 2015

About half finished with the corn harvest on the farm.  A few days of letting the rain soak in and it should be back to corn for renter Chuck S. 

The sun came out an hour late this morning.  

Very few corn ears on the ground, but lots of kernels should keep the deer, birds and other wildlife happy most of the winter

An old oak still retains a little morning color

I think I saw a muskrat swimming far across the pond this morning.  Otherwise nothing rippled the surface

Fenceline bittersweet gives a little color

Dub Creek heads to Deer Lake, Wolf Creek, the St Croix, the Mississippi, and the Gulf of Mexico  maybe 2000 miles as the creeks and rivers wind.  At an average of 3 mph, only will take a month to arrive

Dozens of Sandhill Cranes, bugling their way south in Vees are going over the past few days.  The weather here is fine yet, and lots of food, but must be triggered by daylight savings time

Was hoping some beavers would move in and add to my Menard's sandbag plug in the old beaver dam that forms Dub Lake.  Maybe next year I will add 5 more sandbags and raise the pond to lake status with water lapping at the edge of the barn.  A series of old beaver dam remnants show signs that at some earlier period, the water was likely about 4 -5 feet higher as it comes down the narrow brush choked valley that drains the pond.