It is amazing how rapidly the oaks are being denuded. Between last night and this afternoon, the trees near my house lost at least half of the leaves that remained on them. At the lower elevations, they are not so bare. I would like to get down there to take pictures of them, but I doubt I'll get the chance. There is too much to be done here.
The winds have ceased, so the warm weather will most likely end within a short time. There may be a few more periods of warm winds over the next few weeks, but winter's chill will soon descend. Supposedly, the squirrels foretell the kind of winter through the bushiness of their tails; the thicker the tails, the colder the winter will be. Judging from the tails of the squirrels I've seen lately, the winter will not be too cold, yet not as mild as the last. I don't look forward to cold days and icy nights, so I would be pleased to find that the squirrels had over-estimated the coming season's harshness. If they haven't, I'd best acquire a few new thermal shirts. My old ones are badly worn. The solstice is but a month away.
