November Splendor

What? Yes. Of course there is knitting going on in TheCastle, but it's Christmas Knitting and not for public viewing. Rest assured - proof of creativity is coming at TheCastle Near You. But on this delicious Extra Hour weekend - when daylight savings time goes off at last - I wanted to savor all the outdoor pleasure I could. Alas - the house - a house with spoiled  puppies owned by geezers who indulge their dogs way more than they did their children - was an utter wreck so I had to put in hours doing laundry, cleaning kitchens, vacuuming the dust dinosaurs out from under the bed. But once all that was done, I decided to take the Baby Puppy Juno, for a walk.


Here she is, helping me hang out the laundry.

My yard has many windows into the jewel box that is autumn splendor in Virginia. Here are the topaz leaves in their emerald setting.


I love a meandering lane - there's just something magical about a curve in the road and this is the lane to my house - so I get to enjoy it every day!


It was actually a very balmy day yesterday but you could tell by the sky that the weather was changing.


Little Juno was ready for any adventure. This is the half mile point we walk to most often, in the early mornings.


She's still at the pee pee poo poo chew chew puppy stage. It's a little extra work around the house but it's so much fun.



There were so many beautiful autumn colors popping out of the ground,

on the branches,

in the sky - it was just a glorious day.


I count myself as extremely fortunate to live in a place where my family has lived for centuries. We can see evidence of occupation all over the place - in the woods there are old corn cribs, across the fields are old tenant houses. They remind me that I'm part of a line of humanity that was before and will be afterwards. It makes me feel cozy and loved even when I am alone.


We just took the loop around the property - out the lane and home along the rim path. This was Juno's first time exploring the path all by her doggy self - since Callie, the big dog, was out on the sailboat. She felt very bold.


And then we were back home again and ready for some supper! FEED ME MAMA.


Hope you enjoyed walking around the farm with me. Today I will be gathering Black Walnuts. There's a super abundance of them and I think it's time I took advantage of the bounty. And I well begin planting the birthday daffodils.

Happy Sunday

Sunday Strolls

I love to take a stroll on a Sunday. If I lived in the city I'd probably head for a park, or an old neighborhood, but since I live out in the wild woods ... that's where I take my walks. And on Sundays in the fall I can go out to White Oak Swamp.  We rent that bit of forest to a hunter and during the season we stay out of the woods except for Sundays. In exchange for the use of our land we get venison, amazing summer sausage and of course, the rent - but rest assured, both parties think they have a really good bargain.

This pretty Sunday dawned with sparkling sunshine - bright enough to get all my laundry on the line in time to dry - even if the breeze has a hint of ice in it today. Sometimes we walk over to White Oak Swamp but with the little pup we don't. She'll get enough miles in once we get there, so we drive over and park at the edge and head south. That blur behind BD's legs is One Happy Callie. 

The little puzzled face thing is One Whiny Puppy.  "Pick Me UP" she's begging - but goodness - she must weigh over 20 lbs now. "No, Juno. You have to walk"

There really isn't anything more tempting than a path through the forest. Here along the east edge the cover is sparse and lots of light shines in. Certainly enough for a little puppy to find her way. 

This magical place is full of cypress trees (I know I've told you all this dozens of times already - but just in case you forgot...)  They're so pretty right now - still mostly green but with the bronzing beginning close to the limbs and branches. They're getting tall too - and knees are popping up in all sorts of places. 

A dog can disappear in a forest like this. 

I'm not sure if you can see this - it didn't photograph the way it looked in real life - but the  moment I saw this I thought "Green Lace!" It's really a sapling ... probably an oak ... that has been eaten away till there is just a lacy remnant to mark it's existence. 

Here is another interesting bit of flora - a holly tree sprouting out of an old moss covered stump. The woods are always so full of magical things. Sometimes I can capture them - sometimes I can only allude to them with my digital images.

Of course - no walk is much fun without lots of stopping and puppy fluffing. 

Aren't I cute, Mama?

No matter how far we walk in WOS there is always something  beautiful to see - breathtaking to experience - so spiritual I can almost be the forest not just be in the forest. How's this for a vaulted ceiling?

Or this for an October blossom?

Or this?

And this? What do you think? A ladder up to heaven? 

 

And what sylvan sprite lives here? A gnome? Elves? Fairies? 

Our walk took us down the east rim, along the south end, up the west woods, with a little weaving in and out among the crossing paths that take you deep into the woods. These shots were taken on the Africa Path. BD has named all of the paths. 

 Sometimes when I'm in this forest I can open up and feel it pour its strength into my body. I think of this particular bit of the farm as The Healing Woods. I remember coming here once so long ago - before there were these wide, easy to stroll paths. I was so sad about something I couldn't change but once I got deep into the woods, whatever was hurting me just floated away - sucked out of me by the spirit of the woods. I still feel that way even when I have nothing to be sad about. However I feel - a walk in White Oak Swamp will make me feel better.  I think it makes Juno feel better too.
 

 If you make enough right turns, though, you'll eventually get back to the car - or at least - you'll get back up to the tar road. Little dogs will stop and look around

Get one more tussle 

Share a bone or two 

And then it's time to head for home - with a stop for a long cool drink of water at Jacob's Gut. Would you believe that's a 12 week old puppy? Me neither. Now ... What's for lunch?

How much is that doggy in the window?

It seems a little callous to be writing about new baby puppies when I've never written about Jack, who left us on August 27 but the pain is still a little too sharp to write for public consumption and yet time continues to flow out towards TheNow and in the now there is room for joy and something good to share: A New Baby Puppy. 

We are Dog People and within kingdom we fall under the Phylum Lab People. Mind now - first I love dogs so I'd have been perfectly happy with a pound puppy. My only requirement was that it be a girl and it be under 6 months. I wanted something that could keep Callie busy and take her mind off of being an Only Dog. 

BD, though, was really feeling the Labrador Lust and had been talking to breeders all over the state. Some had pups, some were going to have pups, some had names of people who might have pups. But it was the Times Dispatch on-line Classifieds that hooked us up with a kennel in Goochland who had one girl left. On a lark we decided to go have a look on my birthday and you can see what we found. 

It was a gorgeous day and the drive is very rural, very pretty, over rolling Piedmont Va, with a stop for Cheetos (it was my birthday after all) and Diet Pepsi in Sparta. When we pulled up to the kennel, though we had a moment's gulping pause. There, pulled up in the drive, was a van and beside it stood a mama and a daddy, holding a yellow wiggly puppy, and 4 assorted children reaching out to stroke soft downy fur. Both BD and I held our breath and schooled our expressions into generosity and charity, knowing that if it came to a choice between a family with 4 cute kids who needed a puppy - and a couple of geezerettes who already had a dog ... well ... we were prepared to be nice about it.

Only it wasn't the case. That one was the Next-to-Last puppy. We came to look at the Last Puppy.

 It took almost no time for this little ball of fluff to pass every test. In fact, this was the easiest puppy picking expedition I've ever experienced. And as you can see - she's a perfect fit.  It took Callie no time at all to get friendly.


Even generous

 Because even though this ball is hers - she can share

So here are lots more pictures of our newest addition to the family.

 Lots of outdoor play in this yard

But how much is that doggy in the doorway?

 First real bone

A walk out the pier to the marsh

And a splash into the muddy water

When will you take me for a boat ride, Daddy?

 Ooops. Slipped off the pier

Daddy to the rescue

 My first dip in the dog swimming pool.

 Brrrr this water is cold

Life is good, down on the farm.

 

So once again, there are enough dogs at TheCastle for TheQueen and BD.  What a Happy Birthday.