Winter in the Middle of Fall

We got a bit of the fluffy white stuff yesterday in Greenville. This is the first time that we have ever see such an early snow fall, but it did make for a lovely landscape!

I rushed out this morning at daybreak to capture the loveliness.

The snow started yesterday at about 3 pm.

Here is the view looking towards the pool the day before.

And this is what it looked like this morning!

Most of our tree still have their leaves. We haven't even had to do any Fall leaf raking yet!

Thank goodness for flexible tree branches. Even with all this snow on the leaves, we didn't lose any branches.

These are the cherry trees in our beginning orchard.

Today and the rest of the week we are suppose to have sunny weather, so soon the October snow will be but a memory.

Fall has not Fallen Yet

While the temps are dropping and a dusting of snow is predicted for tomorrow, most of the trees and shrubs around our property haven't even begun to change color!

So if you haven't had the chance to get away to take in the Fall colors in the Catskills, there is still time!

We recently replaced the one large area rug in our room 22 with a couple of much lovelier Pottery Barn hooked rugs.

Which look nice with the new hooked Folk Art rabbit pillow!

NY Sheep and Wool Festival

The annual New York State Sheep and Wool Festival in Rhinebeck was held this past weekend. I've been wanting to go to this legendary event ever since we moved to New York seven years ago.

While it doesn't hurt to be an avid knitter or crocheter, this is an event that the whole family can enjoy.

We especially enjoyed seeing the great variety of sheep on display in the multiple barns. You could get up close to pet them to feel the different textures of the wool.

In the event barns you could watch the sheep being judged for appearance and wool quality.

There were sheep shearing demonstrations scheduled throughout the day. Here are the sheep customers waiting for their haircuts. You can see the ones that have already been shorn in with the long haired bunch.

The shearing itself took only about 5 minutes, but before he began, the guy doing the shearing explained that process and how he held the sheep to make it most comfortable and least likely to try to jump up and run away!

Looks uncomfortable, but this sheep was actually just relaxed back in this position, held only by the shearer's knees.

There were also dog frisbee catching demonstrations, a kiddy area with games and rides, and load of food vendors. My favorite was Taste Budds Aztec Hot Chocolate! Yum.

I'm already looking forward to next year.

Smoothing Out Life's Little Bumps

For the life of a country inn the bumps can come in the form of magnificent heritage trees with growing root systems!

There were a couple spots in the pathways over the bridge and around the carriage house that had already been bumped up by tree roots and then Tropical Storm Irene did not help the situation!

So yesterday the pavers arrived to smooth the bumps and lay down some new asphalt.

And speaking of magnificent trees, the leaves are just beginning to turn around our property and we will probably be having loads of wonderful color for several weeks, usually through the first couple of weeks in November.

This picture was from last year. At the moment the leaves on this shrub are still green.