Snow and Berries

It snowed some yesterday. 

Those are fake red berries that I put in my summer pots after I yanked out the dead annuals. Well, actually I had to cut the dead annuals down because the dirt was too frozen to pull them out. I waited a little too long to take care of some of the fall chores. I put some evergreen clippings in there too, which I cut from trees and bushes in my yard. Does that count as a fall chore? 

Oh, and I had to use my dandelion digger to punch holes in the frozen soil so I could insert said berries and branches. I'm thinking it looks very Christmas-y. 

On the front porch the snow pretty much buried a red wagon filled with more branches. 

The old washtub fared a bit better. I can at least see that 

big pinecone but others are buried in the wagonful of snow. 

Back on the terrace a snack awaits the arrival of the flock of magpies that will arrive soon. About a dozen of them. They will make short work of this with the help of a few bluejays and the nemesis squirrels. I like how the birds pick up each peanut judging its weight so they get the biggest one. Sort of pointless since they'll eat them all anyway, but the best first, apparently! 

A row of Skyrocket Junipers in their blue pots lined up on the back porch for the winter. It's the only way I'll remember to water them. They're usually in the bottom garden until my grandchildren haul them up here in the fall. Otherwise, out of sight, out of mind! I normally tie them up with twine so snow doesn't ruin their pencil shape, but these are getting a little ragtag anyway so I won't bother this year. 

It's hard to tell this is a reindeer with a metal branch sculpture behind. Looks more like a sheep now. A snow sheep.