Talk Not of Sad November

Talk not of sad November, when a day
Of warm, glad sunshine fills the sky of noon,
And a wind, borrowed from some morn of June,
Stirs the brown grasses and the leafless spray.
    -- John Greenleaf Whittier

Yesterday was sunny with a moderate breeze. The fallen sere and crimson leaves swirled, rustled, and cart-wheeled on the roadways with gay abandon. A picture postcard moment on this autumnal day.

The first holiday greeting card hailed from Oklahoma has arrived. The Allens looked well. Certainly, Elisabeth has grown. Sorely missed are pictures of the usual suspects. The ones who chewed, gnawed, snorted, strutted, or pecked about at the ranch.

This time last year I was re-landscaping the yards and gardens. Then in December I hopped over the pond to Austria and Germany for the Christmas season; there was hardly any time spent with friends and relations here in the states.

Given I have just completed a scheduled exterior upkeep of the abode, there are no plans gallivanting to other places this year-end. I'd better get started to organize some photos, and to dash off the first seasonal letter (neither email nor ecards) to the Allens.