2018 Life Logs, Day 266—Welcome Fall
Date: Sunday, September 23, 2018
Weather: Overcast and Cool; High 66, Low 51 degrees F
Location: At Home in the Cottage, East Falmouth, MA
The weather today was a reminder that the change in the seasons is upon us. It was overcast and cool and felt very much like fall. But fall can also be wonderfully warm and sunny. So I am going to hope that this fall follows the March pattern . . . in like a lion, out like a lamb. I spent my day puttering about and trying to get myself in gear for some work that needs to be done to the cottage before winter. I need to paint the front door, paint the railing that I had installed on the back steps, and paint the door I had installed at the bottom of the bulk head stairs leading into the basement. I need to get the roof and gutters cleaned. And as I discovered today, I need to go up into the attic and make sure a squirrel has not taken up residence. Today I kept hearing thuds on the roof. At one point I heard a thud and looked out the window. I saw a squirrel leaping onto a tree right outside the back door. The squirrel had to be leaping from the roof, so I went out and watched for a bit and did see the squirrel leap once again from roof to tree. But I did not see it leap onto the roof or discover why it was so busy on my roof today. So I’ll need to check the attic soon and make sure it is secure. I also planted mums which definitely made it look like fall in the gardens out front. While working outside, I went over to examine a small tree that in the past few weeks has been steadily leaning further and further into the driveway. The trunk is only 2-3 inches in diameter and it has gone from upright to looking like it is bowing with its head all the way on the ground. Upon close examination, I noticed that the tree is laden with small wine-colored berries.
Maybe those berries are adding enough weight to cause it to lean. I was not familiar with this tree, but in researching I think I have identified it as Elaeagnus umbellata which is known as Autumn Olive or sometimes as Silverberry, probably because the leaves have a silvery undercoating. This is usually a bush growing no higher than 11 feet, but it can grow into a small tree as tall as 30 feet tall. It is invasive, so lovely as it is, if it continues to fall into the driveway, I’ll have to cut it down. Lots of fall chores to keep me busy.
