Getting Busy at Home

So....it's back to the midwest, and facing the long winter ahead.  I still don't have my head around the fact that winter is nearly upon us, and recently "under-dressed" for two outside activities.  Layer, I need to layer!

Attended seed harvest in Batavia last week, and not long after we got started, the rain came.  I was collecting Elm Leaf Goldenrod, trying to lean over my bucket to keep out the rain.  I was wearing a rainjacket, but not dressed nearly warm enough for the damp chill.  Big thanks to Sarah for letting me wear a hoodie she had in the car.  As much as I love seed harvesting, I was not sorry when Ben had us stop after an hour.

Yesterday was "Survival Supper" - one of our LFE classes (Learn From the Experts - or "Eccentrics" - as I have also heard) .  Despite once again not dressing warmly enough, I enjoyed the 3 hours out at Tekakwitha Woods with some other nature nerds and wonderful forest preserve staff (and you too, Pam).  We learned about some essentials to have on hand for survival, about some edible plants (and inedible ones, too).  We collected dried leaves, milkweed fluff and sticks and a roaring fire was a most welcome sight.   Imagine my dismay at finding out that no, S'Mores are not essential to survival.  Well, that just can't be right!

Another welcome sight was Valerie, wearing her skunk-skin hat.  Not so welcome, to me at least, was when she pulled both male and female pheasants from her vest!  Valerie is probably the only female hunter I have ever known.  I am not opposed to hunting (with the exception of sport hunting), but I have no desire to participate in the process or the results.  I distanced myself from watching the birds be plucked and prepared for cooking.  It also meant I distanced myself from the fire...but the added chill was better than watching the procedures.

If I can get over my post-Arizona slump, I will take advantage of the coming milder temps to finish some things in the gardens.  I never enjoy putting the beds to bed for the winter, but it's a necessary part of the change of seasons.  I really am having a hard time adjusting to the the fact that we are almost in mid-November, it is now getting dark around 4 pm, and Ken and I are already squabbling over the temp in the house.  With the thermostat at 65, he is freezing and I am roasting.  It's going to be a long winter...