snow-birds

Snow-birds is the term we use for native northerners who over-winter in warmers climates. For Minnesotans, it usually means Gulf-coast Florida or Arizona. I prefer California, myself. But for Midwesterners, used to midwestern home prices, California is expensive.  The birds are all migrating south now. Including the snow-birds.

dot matrix

No all fall colors are yellow, orange, or red. Matter of fact, most of them are not. I prefer the russets, brick-reds, olive greens, and khakis myself.

I’m traveling to Seattle and Portland

Hi All, I am going to be traveling to the Pacific Northwest (Seattle and Portland) for the next six days for various book events with Steve. If you are in either of those two towns, take a look at my Instagram (@maryjohoffman) to see where we will be, and please come say hi!  I have queued up a collection of lovely autumn earth-toned images for you while I am traveling to put you in the mood for the coming cool weather. I hope you enjoy them :-)

honeysuckle leaves in mid-September

wine-red

Remember the gray dogwood I shared the other day. Well, I snipped all those magenta fruit-stalks off, and they dried to an inviting wine-red that I like. The delicate branching making a nice feathery composition when grouped. Beauty is literally everywhere.

gray dogwood fruit stalks

confused

Apparently some lilacs can get confused and do a second blooming if early autumn feels enough like their spring triggers–warm days, cool nights, and similar amounts of daylight hours. There are varieties of lilacs that are designed to bloom twice a year like this, they are called boomerang lilacs. But boomerang lilacs will get a full blush of autumn blooms. This befuddled bush had just a few stray blossoms. I know it’s not a bommerang varietal because I know the plant from which I took it. It’s on my block, and I have only seen it like this one other time in the 20 years I have lived here.

confused lilac bloom in mid-September