Autumn!

I am personally beyond excited that it is finally autumn time. October has got to be my favorite month of the year. The gusty winds, crispy leaves shooshing round, the mighty plant kingdom dying its brilliant death. Clouds encroach upon hot blue skies bringing relief from summer's oppression, mornings are chilly and invigorating, nights show off incredible moons. Apples are in season, we look forward to mulling meads and baking squash and pumpkins, long-simmering meats and fires in the hearth. To kick off September, we drove out to Chanhassen for a lovely walk around the Arboretum to celebrate the coming of the dark half of the year.

































Mum's Birthday! My wonderful mom, whom I am so lucky to consider one of my closest friends, turned 72 this September. We have never been formal people, and birthdays with Mum have always been about good, simple food, casual and relaxed atmosphere with fun and games, and of course, a cake with candles and the Happy Birthday song! Fiona had fun lighting the candle and delivering the cake to her beloved Gammy. Here's some snapshots of the food, cake and Gammy with Fi!



















At work, I've come to care a great deal for a family of 7-8 wild turkeys and a little white squirrel that live in the area. Every morning, I look for them. I almost always greet the squirrel in the wee hours, but the turkeys wander through at different times. Sometimes I see them strolling through the Knoll as we get to work, other times I'll spot them at break time. I almost always see them at lunch. I once startled them as I came out the back door, and suddenly one of the little ones made a flapping fuss! Another time, I came out and a bunch of them had flown down out of one of the gorgeous ancient oak trees that reside out back. Incredible flapping wings coming down, scaring students who were plugged into their iPhones! So cute :)














Wild turkeys have occupied not only the East and West Banks, but also the St. Paul campus! As my mom and I left the St. Paul Rec Center, we spotted another family of seven nibbling their way through someone's yard and jumped onto their car! (Side note: I wanted to buy this house when it went up for sale, it was incredibly priced and very unique on the inside)