Oh November, you lovely place in time.

November for me is like a hug.
It’s a sort of free month, where you can really sink into coziness.
It’s also a pumpkin filled month for me still.
There are all sorts of pumpkins still growing in the garden and autumn is barely beginning to peek into the high desert.

I like to take the first 2 weeks of this month to really enjoy the season.
I even let my black owl stay out a bit longer.
The garden has fresh dahlias and roses coming in, along with all the pumpkins.

The sun goes down by 5:30 p.m. and candlelight adds a perfect golden ambience to counteract the early sunset.

I am in no rush to move forward, I want to stroll slowly through November, enjoying all the sights and sounds.

Candles and twinkly lights…

Paging through old books and looking through stacks of magazines.

I am thinking about Thanksgiving and cutting out recipes I find interesting.
I sit in my comfy striped chair at my little wooden desk, listening to music and tacking my cuttings into my recipe journal.

I have not even thought about taking out my Christmas tree.
Don’t get me wrong, I think anyone that wants to, should.
But I’m not there yet, I need a moment to breathe.
Admittedly, I have been thinking about where I’d like to put my Christmas tree, when I feel the call to do so.
But the first 2-3 weeks of November are my rest time, it’s still warm here, and the nights are deliciously cool.

I love November’s autumn and all the garden delights it has to offer.

The sun sets in a totally different place than it did 2 months ago and illuminates the garden so differently.

Instead of the golden hour sun shooting through one of my rose arbors, it explodes 20 feet to the left through the lemon tree, with rays of hot pink and lavender.
Autumn light and autumn air transports you to another place in time.

It’s a wonderful gift to have seasons, isn’t it?
The importance of having things to look forward to is invaluable.
I was out doing a little watering this evening and I thought about how I must place my poppy order soon.
I thought about the types of poppies I’d like to toss about for next year.
Even though all my poppies self-seed, there are a few colors I’d like to add.
As soon as winter rains begin, I toss my wildflower seeds into the garden.
There’s always something to look forward to when you have a garden, no matter how big or small.
The cozy autumn vibe in front of the fireplace is music to my soul.
I have a little stack of books I’m reading.
Why did I have to start more than one at once, isn’t that just silly?
Do you ever do that?
What book are you reading right at this very moment?
One of my favorite things to do is to look through old cookbooks.
Often there are little notes or tattered old recipes stuck between the pages.
I simply swoon when I find such delicious little morsels in old books.
There are still a dozen pumpkin recipes I would like to make.
Plus, there are many pumpkins to roast, puree and freeze for the winter months.
I even noticed that two brand new fairytale pumpkins are growing in the garden, although I’m not sure they will make it to full maturity.
Still, it’ll be fun to watch them grow so late in the season.
I have many autumnal things to do before winter.
And so, for now it’s still all about the pumpkins in my neck of the woods.
I hope you are doing extra lovely in your cottage down the wooded bend.
I enjoy writing to you very much.
Stay well, and I hope to see you soon.
Love from that place where the desert meets the forest,
Vanessa
Thank you for the beauty and love sent our way.
How wonderful to take this time to rest. I take this month to make Christmas cards and make plans, plus enjoy the colors of the season.
Your pictures always delight me.
Such a lovely post! I’m happy that you enjoy this sweet season before Thanksgiving and don’t rush Christmas. I put even more pumpkins out for November, and enjoy them until Advent. Happy November!
What an enchanting reminder to appreciate what we have before us. Tomorrow will come soon enough. Happy Fall!
Another beautiful and delightful post. Thank you, Vanessa and Hall Fall!
Sorry, that should have been Happy Fall!
Happy November Vanessa!
You always make me appreciate this month even more by the wonderful way you write about it.
I feel your words giving me that November hug!
The light is different up here in Minnesota, too. I find myself having to change my walking time and adjust my day because of the darkness at 5:00pm. But I am ready for things to slow down like that and give me a long evening at home.
I have more time for reading, like you. Your wooden desk is a lovely space to sit and dream. I am reading “Being With Trees” by Hannah Fries. It is like a quiet stroll in the woods.
I have my pumpkin in a stand on the front deck, with twinkling orange lights around it for those evenings when I want to sit outside and journal. I have seen many pumpkins on front steps when I walk the neighborhood, as well as a few Christmas trees lit up in windows. It’s all happy and festive!
I love hearing from you as if you mailed me a letter – straight to my heart!
Pumpkin love and November gratitude,
~Pamela
I’m with you, I’m with you! I went a little nutty this year with arches covered in leaves of orange and rust and golds, and little twinkling lights across every window…and I don’t wanna let go yet! Which is funny, because some years I cannot wait, but this year…this year, we’ve had cold spells and warm spells and rainy days and blustery days and it all made for enchanting evenings under the warm leafy glow. I smell pumpkins and apples as I type. Gingerbread and peppermint will have its day – we’ve become members of the Christmas is through Epiphany…and then most of January” Club, so, we can relax and wait to decorate for Christmas – until Thanksgiving night. HAHA! I must say your colors are quite fetching! Fetching. I love that word…how come I don’t use it more? :)Oh oh and our black owl is out still too. We call him Crazy Larry. He is always up to some mischief, and so he stays out to enjoy Christmas too, with a garland bowtie. He buys and wraps up silly things like puzzles and games and things for people we interact with from time to time but don’t truly know, like neighbors on down the road and UPS drivers. 🙂 I’m reading Dickens, because it’s just the perfect time to read Dickens. Oliver Twist now and Christmas Story come the end of December. 🙂 And gosh! I cannot believe it is Thanksgiving next week!!!!! Hugs and love to all and HBD to Teddykins! xoxoxviiiroostah