One morning last week, I walked in our garden between bouts of rain. I wanted to enjoy the warm, mild air before a cold front rolled in that evening. Chipmunks had retired to their underground dens, birds were quiet, and I saw no insects. The exposed wet earth in the gardens smelled almost as fresh and pungent as in spring. Oregano and sage still scented our little herb garden. (I miss the aroma of fresh herbs so much during the winter.) A few bright patches of color accented the beige, russet and brown of mid-November, tiny remnants of a beautiful summer and autumn. I am so grateful for gentle autumn days and memories of a lovely, bountiful growing season. What nature and garden memories bring gratitude to your mind and heart?
Fan-shaped gingko (Gingko biloba) leaves drop much later than many other leaves.
Boston ivy (Parthenocissus tricuspidata) fruit and leaves.
Moss in a north-facing garden of our backyard.
Common milkweed (Aesclepias syriaca) releases it silky seeds.
A tiny red maple (Acer rubrum) seedling in the backyard.
Beads of rain adorn daylily fronds (Hemerocallis).
Wild grape (Vitis riparia) leaves etched in maroon.
Raindrops on crimson barberry (Berberis) fruit.
The simple beauty of a single Boston ivy leaf in the empty garden.
An empty robin’s nest and red maple leaf tucked into a dwarf blue spruce (Picea pungens).
Ornamental kale (Brassica oleracea) grows in a sunny spot.
Nature, Garden, Life 
I’m so thankful for your blog. You have captured the beauty of the season.
Thank you, Cathy, and Happy Thanksgiving to you!
What beautiful pictures! I felt like I was on a walk with you. I am thankful for the gift of being able to see through your eyes. The beauty and wealth of knowledge you share with us all make every day brighter. I love to come back to your blog and reread your words as I look at the pictures. They fill me with peace. Thank you.
Lisa, thanks for your kind words. I am so happy that you read my blog and find some happiness and peace in it. Thank you!
Your photos are really lovely and I so enjoy your observations!
For me, I love the many colors that I find in the leaves of my hydrangea plants and the glorious gold that I see in the remains of my hosta plants. While I love my garden I think I love the creatures that visit it more. So, I am grateful for the bird feeders that I can hang to remind me that life continues even in the bitter cold.
Thanks for your thoughts, Chickadee 1220! The colors in your Little Lime Hydrangea were beautiful in your photo. Are you seeing lots of birds at your feeders? I’ve enjoyed the various woodpeckers, chickadees, cardinals and nuthatches, but I haven’t had any of the less frequent visitors yet — but the winter is young!
Amazing colors with the sunlight. Again, I learn so much from you.
Thanks, Mary — and many of the days were mostly cloudy!
Beth