Almost Turkey Time.

11-24-25 SHORT HILLS: The Japanese maples are still clinging to some leaves. Oaks and beeches are holding on to brown leaves, as they do for most of the winter. Why they do this is unknown, but theories include protection of next years buds. Marcesence is the name of this phenomenon. 

I first noticed it, marcesence, while waiting in line for gas in the pre-dawn during that crisis years ago—all the oak street trees had lots of brown leaves in winter. Usually it is assumed that any trait offers some advantage to the species, but this one is a puzzle.

November continues to be mild. I don’t think there has been a hard frost here, and we’re getting rain now. 

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Japanese maple with autumn color late in the season. The leaves are green in summer.

Another one with red fall foliage.

One more with red foliage.

A Japanese maple without the red. They all have green leaves in summer.

One of several pedestrians on our street.

Back in NJ.

11-15-25 SHORT HILLS: The trees have been gradually shedding leaves and now most of the leaves are down. I don’t think there has been a frost yet, certainly there has not been a hard frost. We have had rain, but the rain gauge is put away so I don’t know how much. It’s been windy, but today is calm. The aurora put on a show that was visible at our latitude and further south, but it was overcast here both nights. The color here has been good, but is mostly over at this point.

Before we left Vermont, there was a day of rain that washed away all the snow, leaving not a single flake behind. Subsequently a little new snow has fallen there. 

We had dinner with Lynn and Bill. Thanksgiving is on the horizon.

 

Snow all gone.

Color here, chokecherry in orange and burning bush in red.

New neighbor.

November Surprise.

11-9-25 VERMONT: I woke up early this morning, before the sun, and yet things seemed very bright. A glance outside showed me a November surprise—an inch of snow. It’s in the mid-thirties and raining now, so the snow will be melting soon. The first snow is beautiful. By January, it’s not beautiful, it’s a pain. We go back to NJ tomorrow and normal November weather.   

The dogs are fine with the snow.

White world.

Neither pond is frozen.

The apple tree hasn't been white since May.

The horses take it in stride.

The burning bush shows through the white.

Viburnum berries.

Return to Vermont.

11-7-25 VERMONT: We’re back in VT, and it’s noticeably colder, down to 23° last night. The leaves are almost all down, the grass is still green and the little pond was ice covered this morning. That pond, the upper one, is now back to half full, the lower pond is full and not yet frozen. 

Lafayette is snow covered, and Moosilauke has snow on the north peak. Today it’s in the forties and the high winds from yesterday are gone. The sky is overcast. The horses are getting furry. 

I have been doing more chores. The last hose is put away, the outside water is off. Bed borders are put away. The furnace intake is winterized. The plumber was here this morning and repaired several faucets and snaked the slow drains.  

We have dinner with cousin John tonight, and tomorrow with Shari and Dave.

In bloom: last aster, witch hazel, forget-me-not, fever few. 

Mt. Lafayette in winter clothes.

Moosilauke is also snowy.

Last aster looking very purple.

The delicate flowers of witch hazel.

Yesterday at sunset at 4:30 PM. Pink clouds.

The dogs in orange collars for hunting season, and the upper pond recovered to half full and ice covered.

Judy's new bird house on the right and some color in the burning bushes. [I know they are non-native.]

Fox caught by the game cam.

America Speaks.

11-5-25: SHORT HILLS: Wow!! Election Day was yesterday, and we were very, very pleased with the results. If anyone is not aware, the Dems cleaned up, electing Spanberger, Sherrill, and Mamdani and winning many smaller races, including the California proposition to redo their Congressional districts. In NJ the Assembly will be more than two/thirds Democratic. 

It was a repudiation of Trump’s policies and actions over the past year. His administration is sexist, racist, bullying, abusive, mendacious, viciously retributive, disregarding of the Constitution, extortive, features thievery and thuggery. He has torn up the White House. He has murdered people in boats in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, all that in less than one year. I haven’t forgotten about the tariffs, the bailout of Argentina. Do you think that he has some big investment in Argentina, a golf course, maybe? 

I can’t wait for the mid-terms next year. Millions of Americans are being hurt by the inflation and soaring health care expenses that he has ignored, as he has ignored the government shut-down.   

Mikey Sherrill, elected NJ Governor.