mums

Rainy. The bridge just south of Rutland on Rte 7 has been fixed, and that means Rutland is roughly back to where it was before Irene. Not as many dump trucks on the road now. Mums and other fall flowers on display. Three deer getting ready for winter by feasting in our compost pile the other morning. Turning on the lights in the car when driving to work in the morning. Corn guy in W. Rutland gone for the year, and Woods Mkt in Brandon closed for the season as well.

dense fog

Coming home from the Zen Center last night after the start of the term student program, the sky was clear; the Pleiades shining like a jewel in the eastern sky. Woke up this morning to dense fog. Apple stand open south of Middlebury.

In dense fog
what is being shouted between
hill and boat.
Basho
Zen page a day calendar

heading south

Rainy. Wearing a long sleeved shirt to work. Milkweed seed pods opening. Squirrel crossing the road with an apple in its mouth. Geese seen heading south in the Middlebury area; the classic sign of fall in New England.

backhoes

Clear and cold. We had our first frost of the season last night. The road commissioner repaired most of the damage to our lane on Friday night (you can see the blog from 8/31 for the before shot). Route 4 from Rutland to Killington was opened on Friday as well. There was a great article in the Rutland Herald about how Doug Casella, the president of Casella Construction had worked with Governer Shumlin to minimize the red tape, allowing the completion of the project in record time. Shumlin said (with some hyperbole I'm sure) that he thought it would take 18 weeks to make the repairs and it had taken 18 days. Shumlin had been talking with Governor Chris Christie of New Jersey about recovery in his state of New Jersey. Christie had said it was going slowly. Shumlin had said things were going quickly in Vermont. He told Christie that in New Jersey people are driving Mercedes and BMW's while in Vermont, it's not unusual to find a tractor or backhoe in people's back yards. I have to admit it made me smile.

scarescows

Mostly clear and 42 degrees this morning. First time I've included a temperature report in quite awhile. Spirea is still blooming. Pumpkins and Halloween costumes on sales at the markets. Fall display of straw bales, pumpkins, and a scarecrow at the Maple Museum in Pittsford. A friend mentioned the shortening of the days to me the other day. I told her that astronomers are really OK with that. She gave me one of those looks.

frost warnings

Yesterday was sunny and warm, but we've had a few cool days as well. Closing the windows at home, putting on a sweatshirt, even turning on the heat. Burning bush is turning. Frost warnings for the weekend

M&M

At this time of year, animals are either heading south, or they are storing up for winter. Yesterday I saw a few ants trying to move an M&M which had been dropped on the sidewalk at work. No luck.