Nature Watch

Our local newspaper carries a weekly column every Saturday titled, "Nature Watch." This weekend part of the entry was this: "This week an estimated 50,000 ducks were concentrated about 2 miles off-shore from the entrance to Presque Isle State Park, and it is possible there might have even been as many as 100,000 birds."  

On Saturday afternoon we took a car ride around the peninsula, as it is locally known, and I got the idea to give readers of this blog a duck blind tour, as this is prime duck hunting season and the different configurations of the duck blinds are fascinating. Little did I know it would be so timely.

Here are three of the more interesting ones I found. Others will be coming in Duck Blind, Part 2 on Thursday.

I'm not quite sure why all the camouflage. 

Doesn't it look like some sort of sci-fi woods monster!

This is a much more common looking one, 

except for the piece of wood appearing to hold it up.

I'm not sure what that's for.

This is a very nice one, wheel chair accessible...

except that it wasn't positioned along the shoreline of the bay as were all the rest. 

It was across the road. Maybe it just hasn't been positioned yet or 

maybe these hunters catch the ducks flying over land on their way to the water???

Thanksgiving 2020

 Since we aren't able to have guests this year....as everywhere else in the world, it seems, I thought I share a couple photos of Thanksgiving scenes here at the Mount. You'll see them next year when you come!

Here's the simple yet lovely place settings for our noon dinner Thursday.

We sit four at a table during this distancing time.

Here are the two niches in chapel, both with ferns and grasses. 

Again, simple, yet beautiful.

Some of the Christmas cacti in the library are blooming now, too.

I'll show those next week: red, salmon, white and yellow.

Thanksgiving week

 This photo doesn't really do justice to the sunset one day last week. But I tried! This is the time of year when we get these lovely, bright orange, yellow, panoramic sunsets at about 5:15 pm when the sky is clear of clouds. This one is right outside our front door, with Benedict in the foreground. 

Here's one that turned out a little better. Our Presque Isle state park has entered a really bleak period: there is very little color since the leaves and flowers are gone. And there is no snow cover yet to bring those beautiful Norman Rockwell-like winter scenes. Everything is brown and tan and quite uninspiring. A place that only locals could love! And we do. Here is Horseshoe Pond and a photo that I've taken a hundred times--but with the water almost like glass, I couldn't resist yet another: one of the two dozen houseboats and its perfect reflection. Not so bad for a bleak period!

Otherwise the days are going along here. Erie County is having an upsurge in COVID-19 cases. They can't even do much contact tracing anymore, because the daily numbers and the spread are too great. We are being faithful to masks, distancing, hand washing and little presence in public or even private group gathering outside of "our household" as they refer to it. 

Thanksgiving will be muted here, too. Our sisters who would normally travel out of town to visit parents, siblings or friends will be visiting via Facetime, telephone calls or texts. We are trying to reach out to the needs of our area, too...with financial donations and through contacts in our ministries, with our employees and in responding to any need that is brought to our attention. I am sure that you are doing the same. I read this line recently and thought it was perfect: Be safe, stay healthy, help others.

Snow showers predicted

 

Anticipation is rising here...the other day we had what's called "snow showers." That's sort of like fluffy rain or half snowflakes coming down fast. Then the next day we had what the newspaper called "a trace" of snow. which means that there was the slightest covering of snow, but too small to be measured. It's always made me wonder if the "manna" in the biblical story would sort of been like that.

The point of this story is that no one has won our First Day of Snow contest.....yet! You see, the house rules, so to speak, say that the local paper is the "judge" of the contest and they have to report at least 0.1" of snow and we haven't had that amount yet this season.

When you're rather housebound as we are and very limited in any serious visiting or shopping, you have to make your own fun at home. And this contest one of our recent ways of making our own fun. (Yes, there is even a prize!) The upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays are sure to bring lots more.Stay tuned to this station!

In Between November

 November is an in between month for us--especially this year. In just the first half of the month we have had a week of record-setting high temperatures for each date and another week of cold and pre-winter days.

This weekend Saturday was cool but added lots of sun to balance it out. Sunday, on the other hand, was cool, also, but a wild, strong November wind and rainstorm swept through the area for a couple hours in the afternoon. 

Here are two scenes from this weekend:

The 7:00 am sunrise on Saturday morning.

Our beautiful and much-loved willow tree in the backyard

was toppled by the ferocious wind and rains Sunday afternoon. (VL)

I have 10 new trees from this summer's plantings that we just "winterized" so that they will make it through the upcoming snow and winds. Maybe one of two of them will be able to take our willow's place.

Better late....

Well, since it's still Thursday I'm not really too late with my post today! Yes, I forgot....but thanks to my friend I'll get in right under the "midnight" wire. 

Like many (good) bloggers I'm going to share with you one of the most delightful/unique things that happened in my day. Here it is. I promise you'll love it and maybe forgive me for being late!

A trip to Mongolia....enjoy. Click here. 

Combining patriotism and faith

 So, all you Catholics/Christians out there, did you catch the great combination of patriotism (the American eagle) and faith ("He will raise you up on eagle's wings") that president-elect Joe Biden included in his address to the nation Saturday night?! 

In case it had you humming that great hit of the 80s, but maybe not able to come up with all the lyrics, here you go: enjoy. "Eagle's Wings"

November's experiences

 Capturing an autumn tree at Glinodo, with its reflection. (JF)

It's mushroom time here and there is no better place

than along side the boardwalk down to the lake. (JF)

Not a moment of artistic beauty, this is part of the line

I was in to vote at 7:00 am Tuesday. 

It started at Fairfield Firehouse, extended out

to East Lake Rd and then alongside the road,

which is where we picked it up.

I was #30 to vote in the A-L line, the M-Z 

probably had the same number. The

line was longer than the one there in 2008,

Obama's first election. 

All Saints-All Souls

Again we have the first two days of November, which in the Christian calendar has us praying for and remembering saints and souls both from the past and those with us in the present. The prayers and hymns are really lovely and so meaningful.

The weather here in Erie is entering its two and sometimes three seasons in a single day. We are having rain and wind a lot but also 50 degrees and very nice fall afternoons when the sun comes along. 

Here's a recent autumn shot along Seven-Mile Creek as it winds its way through our grounds:

And here is one of many seed pods that hang in our larch tree. I have one of our novices to thank for this shot, as I didn't even know these things were on this favorite of all trees. It is currently in its beautiful gold phase and is always the last one that will lose its leaves. Fortunately, we recently planted another larch in the front yard and it is already showing the same patterns of the mature one in the back.