>We don’t have a cute little trolley (although there was a trolley line that ran at the end of our block about a century ago) but it really was a beautiful day in our neighborhood. Today was one of those days when Mother Nature reminds us that winter is on the way, but not here quite yet. Even though the furnace is on and the winter coats are hanging in the mudroom, we don’t need to break out the snowblower for at least a little while.
It was a balmy 51 degrees after lunch when I decided to abandon my to-do list and play, I mean work, outside in the yard. I threw on a thick sweatshirt (my Game Day Green Bay sweatshirt, for those in the know) over my long sleeved tee and my windpants, grabbed an old pair of shoes and headed out. I put Tiny Bunny in what’s left of the garden. He bounced around a bit, enjoying the scraps of parsley that had been too small to harvest, and then settled in “his” box for a nap. Meanwhile, I cleaned his litter box, emptied the flowerpots on the deck, and rinsed them all with the hose. There was just enough breeze to air-dry the whole batch. I tossed the dead tomato plants on the brush pile, stacked and stored the tomato cages, and then stirred the compost to mix in a bit of old, dry potting soil. It will sit and decompose all winter and then become part of the garden soil next spring.
My to-do list, made last night, was full of housebound items. Help Amigo with Math. Wash & Change Sheets. Order Prescription Refills. Well, I did help Amigo with his math, and I started the sheets, but the rest of the list will have to wait. The late fall weather was just too nice to pass on the chance to get outside.
It’s not exactly a pretty day. The peak fall colors have long gone. Our lawn is still fairly green, and it is covered by a blanket of leaves from the silver maple in the yard behind ours. I’m resisting raking because half the leaves are still on the tree. The garden is just a big hunk of brown dirt with a light blanket of the same leaves and a few birch leaves blown in from next door to hide the die-hard chives that won’t give up. The wild raspberries have quit, too, but the green onions underneath are still competing with the chives for my attention.
I wasn’t the only one in this state of mind. I heard lawnmowers, leafblowers, and the scritch-scratch of a rake in a nearby yard. One neighbor was covering his fishing boat, and yet another laid in a supply of cut wood for his woodstove while his kids played on their jungle gym.
To top off this lovely fall day, I picked chives and green onions to add to my superburgers and fired up the charcoal grill. Mmmm.
The trolley doesn’t come our way anymore, but it’s still a beautiful day in the neighborhood. Mr. Rogers would have been very comfortable here today.

>Street names noticed:
Harmony Circle
Is there a Melody Lane nearby?
Triple Kay Road
Is this someone’s example of creative spelling or did three women named Kay really live here?
Homestead Drive
I wonder how many of those are in our fair state? It’s very descriptive of our history.
Twinkle Star Road
What, no “little”?

General observations:
Small towns are a lot prettier than the Big Giant Box Stores and their companion strip malls.
Variety is the spice of life, and the variety of homes and farms and other buildings provides a lot more aesthetic enjoyment than “clone” subdivisions.
Fewer speeders, manic passers, and Road Ragers drive the back highways. Drivers seem more patient.
A sign that says “48 Waterfront Acres for sale” might not be posted on the actual waterfront. At least, I hope the tiny marshy stream wasn’t the “waterfront” they were selling.
Trails that parallel the highway were largely unused today, probably because it’s that season in between: too cold for summer passtimes, not cold enough for snow activities.
There are many, many shades of brown in the world. Whoever decided that brown was boring never lived in Wisconsin. Pale dried cornstalks against deep brown soil, lighter brown bales of hay, weathered unpainted outbuildings, and more exist on this route. And even this late in autumn, there are many shades of green around as well.
I enjoy the drive to take La Petite back to school after a weekend home. The view from the driver’s seat is, well, priceless.