From Vivid To Bare

Fall seemed to only last a week this year in the Pacific Northwest.

Oh, I’m sure that we will still have some pleasant temps and a few sunny days, but the vibrant hues of the trees as the leaves turned from greens to wild splashes of color was only in full display a short while.

Storms that came in from the ocean sent wind and rain driving sideways at times. They lashed at the vegetation and ripped the tender stems of the leaves right off the trees that are drifting into slumber in preparation for the cold ahead.

The county road was littered with mashed leaves for days as the storms rolled in and the trees gave up trying to hold on to their foliage.

Even the alder trees at the rivers edge lost their leaves so quickly that the normal fall of leaves gently floating into the water to steep and turn the water darker than tea didn’t happen. The river rose, swept the leaves away just as fast as they dropped, and now the river is receding without a trace of dark stain. The clearer river does make it easier to watch the salmon that are coming upstream to spawn. Whereas in most years, we only catch a glimpse of a top fin as they struggle to continue upstream at the crossings or hear a splash now and again. This year we can see the salmon even in the deeper pools and also as we walk across the bridge.

I use a garden cart in addition to a couple of regular wheelbarrows. The garden cart is by far the most versatile hauler out of all of them. The small cut out piece on the front of the cart works perfectly as a cat door when turned upside down to create a safe eating space for the barn cats. Use this link to see more info or to shop any item at the affiliate. By clicking the link, I will get credit for directing people to their site and you can shop as you normally do. You do not have to purchase any item I promote. I may make a small commission from the affiliate. Thank you.