“My lovely November, Have you seen my heart, somewhere in your castle of yellow leaves?” ~A Waltz for Zizi

November 1
Little Miss Sweetcheeks

November 3

“Some of the days in November carry the whole memory of summer as a fire opal carries the color of moon rise.”

~Gladys Taber

November 3
Ice cream at the Lazy Cow Creamery

November 9

“Fallen leaves lying on the grass in the November sun bring more happiness than the daffodils.”
~Cyril Connolly

November 9
Neil painted our bench black. Used to be red. 

Ditto for the swing.

Pulling up the dead things

Jeff the scarecrow seems to like the black bench. Hard to tell 'cause he's always smiling.

November 9
Turkey time in Tennessee
Blessed all day every day

November 10

“Yes. Not winter, not fall. I’ve always liked November ...."
~André Aciman

November 10
Daughter Kelly's couple of days early birthday brunch at Crawdaddy's
43. She wears it well.

November 10

“There is October in every November and there is November in every December! All seasons melted in each other’s life!” 
~Mehmet Murat ildan

November 10

“In November, the trees are standing all sticks and bones. Without their leaves, how lovely they are, spreading their arms like dancers. They know it is time to be still.” 
~Cynthia Rylant, In November

November 10
Ella loves the Lazy Cow Creamery ice cream
Whatever flavor her mom's having

November 11
Ella's dad snapped this picture of her while they were on a walk around the neighborhood
She's bundled in the warm unicorn costume she wore for Halloween.

November 11
Grandpa and Knox discussing deep thoughts

November 12

“November comes
And November goes,
With the last red berries
And the first white snows."
~Clyde Watson

Woke up to some snow
It snowed this day 43 years ago when daughter Kelly was born
Unusual for middle Tennessee but not unheard of

I can't believe the kids went to school. They're usually out if there's a snowflake.
School started two hours late. But no snow delay for Kelly. She dropped off Knox so Grandpa could walk him to school.

Listening to tunes while waiting in line to pick up grandson Elijah and this one popped up.
At that point, it was 25 degrees.

November 13
Good in the hood yo

November 14
Out for a morning walk in the neighborhood

November 14
Watching the birds

November 15
Ella and Knox
Their mom Kelly snapped this one

November 19
Target practice
Neil's head shots with the Glock

November 19

“Autumn! The greatest show of all times!” 
~Mehmet Murat ildan

November 20
Aunt Holly is Ella's new bestie 'cause Aunt Holly shares her white chocolate covered Oreo
FYI: white chocolate covered Oreos are da bomb!

November 21
Can't stop taking pics of the sky, especially one like this

Meanwhile, Neil waits for me to be done taking pictures of the sky so we can go on a morning walk around the neighborhood
Either that, or he's guarding the trash can

November 25
Her joys are simple
Books
And a washcloth to carry around or wear on her head

What?

November 26
Ella's cousin Shelby dropped by to visit
These two always have fun with Snapchat

November 27

"....A glooming light, a gleaming darkness shroud
Its passage. All seems tranquil, all in tune.” 
~Cecil Day-Lewis

November 28
Thanksgiving
Stick a fork in me. I'm done.

“Don't wait until the fourth Thursday in November, to sit with family and friends to give thanks.
Make every day a day of Thanksgiving!” 
~Charmaine J Forde

The geese were heading south Thanksgiving day
There were two or three waves of them flying over 

Traditional Thanksgiving Day walk about the neighborhood
We burned up all those calories we just consumed.
Actually, that's a bald-faced lie about those calories.
You probably guessed that.

Thanksgiving sky

November 29
And so it begins ....

November 30
Christmas shopping today
(We avoid so-called black Friday.
Unless they're giving away free money, then there's no reason to leave the house that day.
So we assembled our fake pre-lit Christmas tree and hallelujah! decorated it on black Friday.)

Autumn is quickly fading into memory
Thankful for a lot of things and a lot of people
Thankful for these photos I snap and this little blog I keep so I can remember
As the saying goes, the days are long but the years are short.


Let misty autumn be our part!
The twilight of the year is sweet:
Where shadow and the darkness meet
Our love, a twilight of the heart
Eludes a little time's deceit.

Are we not better and at home
In dreamful Autumn, we who deem
No harvest joy is worth a dream?
A little while and night shall come,
A little while, then, let us dream.

Beyond the pearled horizons lie
Winter and night: awaiting these
We garner this poor hour of ease,
Until love turn from us and die
Beneath the drear November trees.” 
~Ernest Dowson, The Poems and Prose of Ernest Dowson


Gnight, November
Come in from the cold
We're making hot cocoa
with WHOLE milk: we're bold.
CHILL, November. CHILL.” 
~Lin-Manuel Miranda