The first Christmas that we lived here, B gave me a small Japanese maple. We planted it just outside the kitchen window which faces the front walk. It has been happy there and has required some pruning in its ten years to keep it (mostly) contained in its area.
These maples put on a show, coming and going. The new leaves in the spring come on red and the old ones turn orangey red before they drop.
Yesterday's light rain brought on a shine.
B's goldfish ---some of which are koi wannabees---live in the little pond.
Many of the leaves dropped in the night. It was a nice sight to look out on at breakfast.
Over a week ago, we had a good frost here in the rural parts of Tallahassee. On what is considered very cold days, the children at my school are kept inside before the school day actually begins. This puts everyone at a disadvantage, as we start the day with children that need to have released a little energy, but have been sitting instead. On that morning, I met the challenge by engaging my kindergartners in a little impromptu science lesson. We bundled up in all their Florida winter clothes, which took a while since many can't really manage the zippers. I gave each of them a magnifying glass and we went out to explore the frost in the schoolyard.
With the magnifiers, they could see the crystals in the frost. They were SO excited, running around and bringing leaves to show me. It was a large area and it was safe for them to do just that. We don't get snow here, so we have to enjoy what we do have.
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