Gorgeous Autumn, Early Winter

Autumn was spectacular at MeadowWild this year.

The goats enjoyed roaming about on the cool, crisp days

or just Chilling out in the sun.

The lush greens of early September

gave way to an especially colorful leaf-turning this year.

and then to that more subdued colorscape that glows for awhile before everything turns white for too many months on end.

Fall is breeding season, and the goats got right to business.

Chill did his duty.

We’re pretty sure that Cheeky and Kuiper are preggers

but Nine hasn't yet settled.  She's on a course of fertility meds that we hope will do the trick.

Fall is also time for a last few snow-free walks around the neighborhood – 

greeting the curious neighbors at a socially safe distance –

and for final bike rides on the Munger Trail,

with a visit to the outdoor sculpture gallery in Mahtowa.

Time also for further preparations for winter:

another delivery of hay from Happy Critters Farm

and conversion of the apple harvest into bags of dehydrated fruit that will last much of the winter.

Deer do some final harvesting of their own.

Hard at work in her laboratory,

Barb crafts batch after batch of soap

working to keep up with orders ahead of the holidays.

Check out her website at https://meadowwildsoaps.ecwid.com/

In the garage, Momma Kitty enjoys her heated water bowl and supply of fresh goats' milk

which she shares with foolhardy mice

and Pepé Le Pew

As their own preparation for winter

Pepé and family have excavated unsightly burrows in our front lawn

beneath the fire pit

on the slope abutting Red Oak Lane

and under the poor beautyberry bush that the deer keep nibbling back.

Momma wonders if the skunks want to come out to play.

Thanks to Pepé, we may not win this year's Best Lawn Award.

Gorgeous as it was, autumn didn't last long.

Premature winter arrived on Oct 17 with a few inches of snow.
That first snowfall is always magical enough to warrant some video – at the end of 
which a wary Momma saunters up looking for lunch:  

Lots more fell a few days later

and temperatures plunged

so it stayed on the ground.

By the third “snow event” (as weatherpersons call them) on Oct 23, we had come close to the snowiest October on record

and the white stuff had already lost its magic.

We’re going to be mighty tired of it come late March and early April.

Seasonal migrant that he is, Dustin bade farewell to his summer haunts

(mostly the study desk, which he considers his domain)

yawned

and settled down in his favorite winter spot

wedged in a kitchen corner next to the heating vent.

Between naps he works on his Christmas wish list.  We remind him there are several holidays before December.

And so the Lords of Darkness

Chiller

and Count Dustula

join the Weird Sisters in wishing everyone a very