This weekend, I guess that means yesterday, I was busy taking pictures of my backyard birds as they bounced around in the beech tree near our feeders.
I loved the colors, the tree still hanging onto her leaves even though we are well into November now.
It wasn’t warm outside, not like it had been through most of October, but it was still a nice, if slightly dreary, day.
I spent some of the day on Saturday painting Christmas cards to be sent to folks in nursing homes. Nothing too complicated, just simple cards painted in the hope they made someone smile.
The goal was to get 10 painted over the weekend and mailed on Monday. Christmas comes so early when you have to get your stuff off to folks who have to do their thing to get the cards to seniors in a timely manner.
I haven’t felt very Christmas-y this fall. I procrastinated on painting the cards until it was almost too late. I thought maybe I’d skip the whole Christmas card thing this time.
I haven’t put the lights up outside either. I usually put lights on one tree, the smallest of the spruce trees we planted so many years ago, at the corner of our lot.
I use the smallest tree so that I can get lights clear up to the top if I stand on a ladder and use a long pole. It’s a lot of work and I don’t know if I’m up to it anymore.
Still, the neighbors tell me how much they enjoy that tree when it’s lit on our dark winter nights. I enjoy it too. Somehow it makes the winter go by a little faster, or at least be a little brighter. So maybe I’ll get the lights up the next nice day we have around here.
Probably not today though. This morning I woke to our first snow of the season. Penny is not at all sure she was good with this new development.
But I am happy to see the trees and shrubs begin to be covered by this new white blanket. Pen and I might even go out and play in it when I finish this post.
Some of the birds are not as happy as I am to see the change in weather. But the snow makes me think that maybe I can put the lights up. Maybe I can paint a few cards for the season. Maybe I can get into the Christmas mood.
Maybe I can.
You know you’re in Michigan when one day you’re working in the garden and the next you’re laughing over bird antics in the snow.
Happy holidays, everybody. They are upon us.
Change Is Hard 
November 9, 2025 at 12:48 pm
I love your cards. I am not ready for snow – we got our coldest temperature for this season last night – it got down to 35, according to my weather center.
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November 12, 2025 at 11:47 am
In my perfect world we would only get one snow, and since we already had it, then we’d be done and on our way to spring!
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November 9, 2025 at 12:51 pm
Your cards are beautiful and very sweet of you to make them. Snow already? that’ll put one in the Christmas mood!
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November 12, 2025 at 11:48 am
It lasted on the ground longer than I thought it would, but it’s mostly gone now. If that were our only snow I’d be fine!
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November 12, 2025 at 3:50 pm
I hear ya!
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November 9, 2025 at 1:30 pm
Love your cards and your help with my mood change!
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November 12, 2025 at 11:48 am
I’m glad!
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November 9, 2025 at 1:59 pm
Not feeling Christmassy? I don’t even think about Christmas (well, mostly), until after Thanksgiving. I’d best look at the calendar, though. Last year Advent whizzed by before I could blink! I love your cards, and I’m in awe of your snow. We had our first front last night, and may get down to the upper 40s tonight. There are rumors of frost and freeze north of us, though — but no snow.
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November 12, 2025 at 11:49 am
The snow is gone now, for the moment. We’ll have plenty more. It gets less awesome the longer the snow season lasts! 🙂
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November 9, 2025 at 2:29 pm
It’s 78 degrees and I whacked back some palm fronds that were growing over my camellia shrubs. Supposed to drop to the 30’s over the next few days. I hope it doesn’t freeze the camellias. My neighbor put up the lights on his walkway, which always looks pretty. But the pumpkins are still sitting on his porch. Not Christmas. Not yet.
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November 12, 2025 at 11:51 am
Whacking some palm fronds seems a perfectly seasonal thing to do. My mom always got sad when her camellias froze, which was almost every year. She always loved that she had flowers blooming all winter if she was lucky, down in AL. We might get some more decent weather and I’ll see if I can motivate myself to get the lights up. I don’t necessarily turn them on until later, but it’s nice to use the decent weather to get them up. Nothing worse than trying to put lights on a tall tree during rain or cold or wind or snow.
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November 9, 2025 at 3:57 pm
Snow! I can’t say I miss it, but I do love your pics. Although, those Christmas cards are wonderful!
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November 12, 2025 at 11:52 am
If I moved down there (and we’ve considered it some) I don’t believe I’d miss the snow either. I would miss my Great Lakes and the colors in the fall, and summer nights under the stars. I guess I could come back up for those. The Christmas cards are fun to do and I’m lucky I have an outlet to get them off my kitchen table and into somebody’s hands.
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November 9, 2025 at 8:39 pm
Yes, Michigan and its often-changeable weather. We started off with rain when I got up and a few hours later, the lawn was white. Happily, nothing on the cement … yet. It will warm up a little later in the week they say. I love all the bird pictures, especially the disgruntled bird faces. 🙂 I like your cards too Dawn – what a thoughtful gesture that is. For sure, people in nursing homes can use a little cheer at the holidays. When I was taking accordion lessons while we still lived in Canada, our group went to various nursing homes and played and sang Christmas songs. The residents were always grateful for the interaction.
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November 12, 2025 at 11:53 am
Paintiong cards is easier for me than visiting. I get so sad visiting.
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November 12, 2025 at 9:16 pm
Yes, it is sad visiting. Years ago I went with my parents to visit a long-time neighbor who had broken a hip and could no longer live alone. He was medicated so much that he didn’t even recognize us and kept falling asleep.
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November 9, 2025 at 9:37 pm
I love all your images and captions, Dawn. Wow, your card project is amazing 👏 I’m sure this amd lighting your outdoor Christmas tree will bring joy that might elude you a bit. Those birds (that cardinal!) bring joy to MY heart, and I’m sure yours too!
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November 12, 2025 at 11:55 am
I do love my birds! Either here at home, or out and about in some woods or parks. It’s easiest here, where there are feeders bringing them in, or at Kensington where they’ve been trained to eat out of people’s hands. Regular birds in the wild don’t wait for a silly photographer to grab a camera and figure out settings!
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November 9, 2025 at 11:01 pm
Oh I loved this Dawn. We hardly ever get snow here in western Washington. I remember when I was four, the one winter we lived in Fargo, my brother and I both loved the snow! So rest assured some people love your photos, tho, must admit, if we actually HAD snow here, I might like it so much. 🙂 I adore your bird photos (and their words). Doing something for folks stuck in care facilities who might not have relatives around … what a great idea. I’m going to see what I can find near me, thank you for that. You are super!
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November 12, 2025 at 11:58 am
Well, living in Fargo, you know what snow really is! Ours wasn’t nearly Fargo quantity!
I imagine there are any number of ideas for helping out seniors near you. AND if you are into making cards (doesn’t have to be watercolor) you can join the “Bring Smiles to Seniors” card program. It’s all over the country. Home
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November 10, 2025 at 7:07 am
I love your cards! They always bring a smile. Snow already? I suppose you are used to it, but here in NJ I hope it stays away until at least January!
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November 13, 2025 at 6:36 pm
It’s not unusual for us to have snow in November, but it rarely sticks around. It’s gone now, and will be in the 50s this weekend. But it will be back.
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November 10, 2025 at 10:44 am
We woke up to lake effect snow, too, but it’s supposed to hit 70 again by the weekend. Central Illinois weather!! Monk wasn’t sure about it all when he went outside early this morning, but I think he’s starting to remember it. No Christmas decorating here until after Thanksgiving, when maybe the Domer can help. I love your painted cards and all these birdies, and I love seeing red berries, red leaves, and red birds in the snow! The expression on the jay in your last picture sums up what I think about this early blast of winter!
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November 13, 2025 at 6:38 pm
Penny was back to trying to eat it all. She seems to do that during the first snow each year until she figures out she can’t eat it ALL.
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November 11, 2025 at 10:00 am
Gorgeous photos! New England’s weather can be fickle like that too. I’m home from school for Veterans Day today and you have me thinking I should fill my feeder and maybe try some photos of my own, but unlike Saturday it is chilly and gray today. Your cards are so sweet. I love them.
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November 12, 2025 at 5:27 am
We got our first snow yesterday. Must’ve made its way East. I usually love the first snow, but it was sooooo windy, no one could enjoy it. Even Chewy said “let me back inside”. I was riding my bicycle on Sunday without a jacket. This seemed like quite an abrupt start to winter.
The photos of your cards made me smile! They are so bright and cheerful. I’m sure the lucky recipients will prop them up on a table and display them throughout the season.
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November 12, 2025 at 11:46 am
It does seem abrupt, this cold weather front that went through. The snow here was pretty and only lasted 3 or so days. Still I’m ready for spring! But seriously, riding a bike in November is pretty special.
Sometimes I wonder about me painting cards for the seniors. I know they will sit on a dresser or a windowsill and eventually be tossed. Some of the cards I’m attached to, like they’re my kids so it’s kind of hard to mail them off. But I don’t know what I’d do with my paintings if I didn’t have this outlet. This batch I did so fast, because I was late, that I didn’t really get attached, so it was fine to mail them. Now I guess I need to start the ‘real’ cards for family and friends. But I don’t seem to be motivated. It’s only November…right?
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November 12, 2025 at 5:31 pm
Still undecided about putting up Christmas lights this year. We won’t be home to fix the ones that go out. It’s the law of nature that some strands will go out. Probably no inside decorations either, as they are packed deep in the storage unit. We weren’t careful about making sure they were up front. Oh well.
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November 12, 2025 at 5:54 pm
The neighbors have convinced me to put the outside lights up. Saturday is supposed to be a bit warmer so I guess that will be the day.
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