11/01/2021 – Around Colehaus

Welcome to November at Colehaus! We’re fans of November here and grateful we have changing seasons to marvel at. Oh, and rain. Rain, rain, rain. Thankfully, we’ve had a lot of rain lately and after multiple years of dry autumns, daily rain is so very welcome.

Neighborhood wanderer Rusty probably isn’t that enthused about the rain, but he gets around and surely has plenty of dry places with his name on them. Here, he watches Mom from the side garage doorway. He won’t eat at the feeding station until she goes inside and will wait as long at it takes for her to close and lock the door. Rusty is very, very smart and Mom has lots and lots of patience. Someday, maybe, he’ll trust her.

One place he might hang out at is in one of our feral shelters. Mom’s got the warming mats hooked up and working, and fresh straw’s been added inside. She knows someone’s been in them already this fall because the straw has been flattened down and around to make comfy beds. Rusty, was that you?

Or maybe it’s Mr. MewMew. Doubtful. He has a good home just two doors down and piles of bedding nestled on a cute bench in his protected front porch. Still comes over to eat our food, though.

What do ya know? It’s Joe! Our resident frog is still around, still eating bugs, still calling this place home. How long do frogs live, anyway?

As the daylight grows shorter, the last of our cherry tomatoes were harvested and frozen, and the potted plants cut down for the yard debris bin. We really weren’t as fond of this kind of tomato this year as in the past, but we’re looking forward to the marinara sauce these will be used for in January. Next year, we’ll give bigger tomatoes a try.

The rain has pummeled the Russian sage pretty well. It’s ready to be cut back anyway.

But not until this little bird gets their fill of flowers. Don’t know exactly what this little one was doing, other than picking off flowers. Maybe there’s tiny bugs in them or sweet nectar, or maybe she’s collecting flowers for her spring 2022 wardrobe collection!

Most of the flower pots have been grouped together for overwintering. If half survive until spring, Mom will be happy.

Mom’s cyclamen is doing exceptionally well. Those hazelnut shells really have kept the slugs at bay and the plant happy! We’ll check back in with it next February or March.

You know we’re beginning to hunker down for winter when Mom decorates the fireplace mantel and brings in her garden bunnies. They’ll spend the cold months tucked away in a garage cabinet, reminiscing over the high and lowlights of the long, hot summer, and discussing next year’s gardening strategy.

Finally, someone needs to tell this squirrel that despite his entertaining acrobatics, Mom ain’t putting any bird food outside for him to raid. Nope. Not going to happen. Okay, maybe next month.

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A Colehaus Cats flashback:

2020 – No post
2019 – Friday Fun
2018 – No post
2017 – Accidental Renaissance
2016 – No post
2015 – No post
2014 – No post
2013 – Did Someone Order Kittens?
2012 – No post