Every Bloomin' Thing-- November 1st

We had our first frost last night judging from a little on the grass and the roof. However, it didn't kill my impatiens, begonias, or wandering jew plants. And they are very quick to go when there is a frost.

Most of the trees have lost their leaves, but the Bradford pears still have their leaves. The golden raintree, sumacs, and Asian maples have the most color.

As usual, the marigolds are making their fall splash of color. I have about 500 plants around the house, so when I say splash, I mean explosion. Mostly yellow, but quite a few reds and light purples.

Cut the grass for perhaps the last time of the year on Monday.

I've been raking the pine needles back into the pine islands and will collect what leaves I can find for a fire. There is few things better than the smell of burning leaves in the fall. That is the "Smell of Fall" for me. Unfortunately, or fortunately, I don't get a lot of leaves from my trees. Raking is not a big problem as it is with some of my friends.

One time I went over to Donovan's Reef in Twin Lakes where I raked and bagged several piles of leaves to bring home and burn. The people inside thought I had lost my mind. Maybe I have, but I do know that I really like the smell of burning leaves. Whenever I drive by people burning leaves, I roll down the windows to enjoy every bit of that smell.

Losing My Mind Over Da Leaves, Burning, That Is. --RoadDog