The Frost Is On The Pumpkin

Well...it has finally happened;  we have relented and put on the heat.  When Hubby came into my office to find me fully clothed, boots and hand warmers on, hoody up over my head and my fleece bathrobe over top of it all, it was a no-brainer.  Autumn has made its annual appearance.  Thanksgiving has come and gone.  Halloween is not far off.

I remember having to choose Halloween costumes that would fit over snow suits when I was little, but that was a long time ago and I have moved since then, a number of times, and always in a southerly/warmer direction.  In the twilight of my years, (64 and counting) it behooves me to keep track of the thermal gradient in my neighbourhood, taking all necessary precautions to ward off frostbite and death by hypothermia.  And so....we have put on the heat, cranked it up big time.

As I am warmer now, I would like to share the beautiful autumn of Southern Ontario with my blogging buddies.

 Last Sunday, Hubby and I found a country road we had never driven before.  A total delight! It was like hiking in the woods - 4 wheel driving.

I was surprised to see this pair of shoes nailed to the tree beside the road, in the middle of nowhere.  Maybe they belonged to a gentleman who liked to hike there.  They looked like they still had some wear left in them.  I am postulating that said gentleman no longer has use for them and they have been put up to remember him by.  hmmmmm.....

Queen Anne's Lacy in the middle of a field of soy beans.

I had to use my zoom lens to capture this alpaca.  He was busy munching windfalls under the apple tree and would not be enticed to come closer.

This was a beautiful barn in the distance.   When I got close enough to capture these wild grapes, it appeared the barn was a derelict.  

See how pretty the barn looked from far away?  You probably have to click on the image to enlarge it to fully appreciate...

My Granddaughter from Alberta was enthralled with the Maple leaves when she came to visit for Thanksgiving.  Maple trees do not grow where she lives.  She sees lots of yellow during autumn, but not reds like we have here.

 Two things I have been planning to cook up in the kitchen this fall were Pumpkin Soup and Pumpkin Butter.  For that, I needed cooking pumpkins.  They sold out before Thanksgiving in our local grocery stores.  A trip to the Howell Family Pumpkin Farm was in order.

Who knew there were sooooo many different kinds of Pumpkins?

The stripped Mexican Pumpkin.

The Cinderella Pumpkin.

The creepy Peanut Pumpkins.

The Jack-O-Lantern Pumpkins and the Pie/cooking Pumpkins and things that are not pumpkins, but closely related.....

This time of year in the Niagara Peninsula is all about the grape harvest.  

This cool split-rail fence just begged to be photographed and shared.

Here's to the last glorious days before the clocks go back for daylight savings and we live in the gloom of winter for the next many moons.  Enjoy the change of seasons, Everyone.