Well here we are again on a Friday. With forty-seven days left in the year, we continue to zoom toward the holidays in break neck speed. As always, we’re joining the crew at Adventures of the LLB Gang for their weekly blog hop. Be sure to click on the link to see what posts were shared by others. Wilson here and can I just say it’s been an interesting week. We’ve been lucky with our weather, it’s been, in a word…gorgeous. Mild autumn days and not too chilly nights. I think I could get used to the low 70’sF (around 22C). It’s been somewhat breezy most days, blowing leaves all over the place but I haven’t minded. It’s glorious and it’s autumn so it’s to be expected, right? Mum continues to remove leaves from under our covered front patio porch several times a day and said we could use some moisture-it’s been 2 months since any wet stuff fell so things are fairly dry and dusty. My once beautifully white paddles (also known as paws) are a lovely shade of grey. Do I care…heck no. Mum keeps trying to remove those little pieces of grass and leaves from sticking to my furs which means sessions with a brush. That part I do care about and hope she stops and soon. I’m fabulous enough without her fluffing me up.
Wilson: {continuing} Like I said, windy conditions are making good at disbursing leaves all over. But there still are a few trees that seem reluctant to let go of autumn, most notably the Bradford pears. They will keep shedding leaves for probably another month. Our neighbor has a pair in his front yard and Mum sometimes grumbles when they finally fall all over her sidewalk when it snows. Nothing like shoveling the sidewalk when the first snowflakes of the season arrive and its half full of Bradford pear leaves. But they sure are pretty. Just look at their color when most trees are down to their branches!
The Mum: Those Bradford pear trees scream “GOOD MORNING WORLD!” every day when we walk past the old Elitches theatre on our morning constitutional. It’s a perfect autumn scene made even more perfect by the morning quiet before the city wakes up in earnest.
Wilson: Another colorful specimen is this Scarlet Firethorn tree. Looks like the birds who stay here during the winter will be well supplied with a nice batch of berries.
The Mum: That firethorn ranks right up there in color with this Japanese Barberry Bush-another screamer.
Wilson: What? I can’t hear you, that bush is too loud.
The Mum: You’re too funny, you know that, House Pony? So we had some interesting astrological sightings this week. With the Beaver Moon appearing recently we were also treated to some spectacular Aurora Borealis showers over the past couple of days, I never thought I’d see them in person here with our dense neighborhood tree canopy but my son sent me pics a few pics he took from just north of the the Boulder city limits. The colors were incredible and did not disappoint. I loved seeing the tiny white stars showing up in the dark skies. When you live in the city, you get used to not seeing a lot of stars because of light pollution in a metro area so when you’re in an area that has little or no competition, it’s always a wondrous sight.
Wilson: Pretty cool celestial happenings, Mum. With just 41 days until Christmas, the local neighborhood tree lot is getting ready to ramp up for the season. Although we posted about this lot showing up a couple of weeks ago, does anyone else find this signage somewhat ironic? “Fresh Christmas trees” in November…hahaha. While they haven’t begun to display trees and wreaths just yet, but I think not, at least not this early in the season. They are beginning to put out lighted spheres out that were very pretty when they had them last year along with a nice ‘herd’ of log moose and reindeer. It’s nice and festive especially as our landscape continues to get browner and browner.
The Mum: Speaking of moose and reindeer, do you see any other critters this week on our walks?
Wilson: As a matter of fact, I did although I have never seen one of these before, either in Colorado or Missouri. What the dog is that thing?
The Mum: Silly Floof, it’s just more of unusual garden art that amuses me. This one is in the form of an alligator sunning himself on a low wall. I can’t wait until it’s covered in snow. Now that will be a sight!
Wilson: Harumph…well I for one don’t plan on encountering it, not with that set of choppers.
The Mum: Don’t worry, this guy can’t hurt you. It did made me chuckle though. You know how much I love finding these unique pieces of garden art around the neighborhood.
Wilson: You’re so weird, Mum. Well that’s it for us this week. Hope you’ve taken time out of your busy holiday preparations to get outside and enjoy Nature, Northern Lights and the unusual. Let us know if you have any unusual plans. From both of us, we hope you have a ‘furbulous’ weekend!
Live, love, bark! 🐾
Good day, mates, Wilson here for this week’s edition of Nature Friday. As we typically do, we are joining our friends from 
The Mum: Aww, thanks, Floof. Appreciate you thinking of us.
Welcome to this week’s edition of Nature Friday. Today is the 42nd Friday of 2025, and the 290th day of the year. If you’re celebrating a holiday today, it’s National Pasta Day and National Mammography Day for all you gals out there. There are only 75 days left. But for our family, it’s an extra special day-it’s Mum’s sister, Terry’s birthday. Happy Birthday to Mum’s special sister, “teeny-weenie Terry Jeannie” who is incredibly talented and always there for her family. We both send our love and best wishes on her special day. I, Wilson, also send her extra loads of digital sheepdog kisses which she should especially enjoy because they aren’t wet.
Wilson: It’s been fairly noisy walking on sidewalks covered in fallen leaves. I haven’t been able to sneak up on the squirrels because of it. But in exchange for losing my stealth, Nature has provided me with the more fascinating smells. I have been enjoying all the sniffing I am able to do lately.
Welcome to the first day of August. I’m going out on a limb here by saying I think it’s going to be a hot month and I’m not talking about a certain fabulous floof strutting his stuff on a Parisian runway. With less than two months until the blessed day of autumn’s arrival, Mum has ramped up her whinging even more than usual. Can’t say as I blame her but…hello…look who’s wearing a fur coat? Not her. Mum only managed to take a few photographs from around our garden this week but I will forewarn you about not having very high expectations as they’re not particularly special but it seems to make the chief biscuit maker happy, so let’s relish a brief moment when we managed to get out of the house, shall we?
