Weekends to be thankful for

We've been enjoying a beautiful fall. After our horrific winter, non-existent spring and drab, rainy summer, we were due for some sunshine and (relative) warmth. Thanksgiving weekend (that's Canadian Thanksgiving, if you don't know) was exceptionally nice--temperatures around 20/70, sunny, and full of fun. Saturday featured a petting zoo at our local farmer's market, which Dexter loved. He's fascinated with animals right now, so he loved getting up close to the goats and chickens. On Sunday we went for a nature walk through a local conservation area with two families from our neighborhood. We spent several hours wandering about, admiring crimson leaves and chasing garter snakes through the underbrush. This outing led to an impromptu turkey dinner together, complete with a kiddie table that let the grownups have some peace. Just another great day in our friendly neighborhood. On Monday we cooked a modest Thanksgiving dinner just for ourselves. Dexter loved the sweet potatoes. Henry burst into tears when I told him I'd like him to try just one bite of mashed potatoes before I'd give him dessert. That's the way things go around here. . .

Henry studies a snake snagged by our neighbor, Tim

Yesterday was another fun day in the sun, albeit much cooler. Perfect day for a leaf party! Over the summer a small, underused park near our house was transformed into a Children's Garden by our neighborhood association. It's the kind of low-cost, community building enhancement that makes me lreally appreciate this area. The park needed more leaves for mulch, so a party was organized: bring a bag of leaves from your yard and hang out in the park. As you can see below, much fun was had by many, many small children. I'm still picking leaves out of my hoodie.

Today the clouds were back, and we're definitely feeling the crisp air of mid-autumn now. The water level in the canal is down below a foot, which can only mean one thing: winter is coming. We've got to relish these sunny days while we still can!