Driving through the countryside, we can now see the bare grey bones of the forest as the autumn leaf display finishes. Leaves come spiraling down singly and then blowing in squadrons as the occasional gusts of wind stirs them up and drags stragglers off the branches. Surprisingly to me, the leaves closest to the crowns of the trees stay attached far longer than those lower down. And between the bare trunks of the trees we can see the mountains looming though. When things are in full leaf, their outlines are concealed, and the tree covered slopes are a naturally perfect match to the nearer foliage. It is only at this time of year that we can realize how close they are to our home.
It has been unseasonably cold here this autumn. When we were on Kiawah Island at the start of November, there was even a small snowfall in the mountains. There was even worse weather forecast for the coming week. All to do with cold fronts of Arctic air rolling down America as a result of changes happening up round the North Pole. On Thursday morning we saw the cold front of Arctic air pouring like a wave of fog across the Appalachians. But no snow actually arrived for us even if from Texas to New York there was plenty.
We have also started to do some gardening this week. Now that the red clay in the lengthy planting bed (part of the Great Wall of Dahlonega) has been enhanced with a specially blended topsoil, we can plant there. The red clay which was exposed in all the earth moving after millennia underground is remarkably sterile and unfriendly even to forest weeds. Bulbs, lilies and seeds have all been planted. Now we have to hope that the deer don’t think that we have opened a delicatessen specifically for them.
There is much to be done in the house! There hasn’t been much unpacking over the last few weeks, and Lisa was getting a little concerned about things like her mother’s cutlery. The packing cases stacked 4 high are now down to a single layer, but there is also a counterbalancing of unpacked china, glasses and pictures still seeking their new homes. The number of runs to the recycling centre rises steadily – the cardboard recycling skip fills every time with our flattened packing cases, as does the paper recycling bin.
The next major event on the calendar is Thanksgiving Day on 27th November (fourth Thursday in November). It is sad that we cannot continue our tradition of Ealing Thanksgiving dinners with two other Anglo-American couples. But this year Lisa will be entertaining her relatives on her mother’s side. Current projections are for seventeen around the festive table (well, two tables) for lunch. So, that is going to occupy a lot of our time in the next two weeks.