Autumn

Autumn is my favorite season, not cold nor hot. It is smelling apple pie, tasting warm cider and wood stove and fireplace burning with hickory or maple wood. Air is crisp and autumn leaves on the ground smells musty and pungent.
Today, I chopped some fallen trees with my chain saw sharpened by my local hardware store. It does well beautifully. What struck me most was the fresh smell of white ash and sassafras cutting across the grain. It felt healthy.
Indeed, it was a beautiful afternoon and invigorating.

Our Weekend Holiday

We went to our family friend in Hillsborough for the weekend holidays. It was less crowd but more personal and have the same amount of fun.

My family has always a good time when we meet our family friend s on any occasion. It is just the way it is.

That was yesterday.

Today, we have our time on our own. I got the pool going, chemicals and heat in order. It was ready by 10 AM.

My family dipped in after that.

I dipped in later in the day after tending to my trees and backyard getting rid off the invasive vines and bushes.

My great discover for the day was to identify a tree that has been growing in my property for eight summers now. The clue was this specific tree bear a fruit or flower called samara. The leaves, twigs and flowers were classic description.

Seedlings were all over my property.

The tree is called Boxelder maple (Acer negundo). A tree truly indigenous to New Jersey.

I grilled sirloin steak with cucumber and onions, a great dinner.

Tomorrow, a few friends will stop by for a swim, drinks and appetizers.

A Jersey Tree State of Mind

These are the trees indigenous to New Jersey that I have been able to identify in my property. Coniferous trees are excluded.

Black cherry (Prunus serotina)

Flowering dogwood (Cornus florida)

Silver maple (Acer saccharinum)

Sugar maple (Acer saccharum)

Japanese maple (Acer palmatum)

White ash (Fraxinus americana)

Sassafras (Sassafras albidum)

Sweet cherry (Prunus avium)

Northern red oak (Quercus rubra)

Tulip tree (Liriodendron tulifera)

Ailanthus (Ailanthus altissima)

It feels good to be green again.

A Sunday Afternoon in Tewksbury

Finally, I was a able to putter in my backyard. I rooted out invasive vines and bush infesting my property. It keeps my trees healthy.

Woodpecker knock their rhythmic boring onto a trunk as I did my chores.

I planted some pachysandra under my trees to prevent some invasive plant overgrowth in the summers to come, my mission for the next two years.

Despite my protective gloves for planting and digging, the sharp rocks cuts through.... no match!

With all the minor cuts and calluses all these years, it feels good to have a pair of rough hands!