Early November has brought bucketloads of welcome rain and even some snow on the mountains. At sunrise, the colors from our bedroom deck are wondrous.

At the end of the day, the last rays of sun highlight the fresh snow on Mt. Baker.

One of my favorite elements of these gardens is the stream that bisects our land from top to bottom. Since we’re sprawled on a hillside at the foot of the Olympic Mountains and we range from 1200 to 1300+ feet in elevation, the stream has a naturally quick current. Well, it had a quick current until our long, dry summer, so I guess you would call this a 3-season stream. Back in March after a rainstorm, the stream flowed furiously.

While the pond survived, burgeoning with flora and fauna during the dry summer, the stream narrowed to a trickle, then just a long, soggy ditch for a couple of months. We’re  grateful the stream is flowing again and babbling soothingly.

The break from flowing water allowed Son and Hubby to do some reinforcing of stream banks uphill from our home. They’ve worked long and hard on creating hikable paths through the undeveloped forest. Those acres are unfenced, and we’ve seen deer and mountain beaver exploring them. I once heard a loud, growling beast carrying on for a few minutes while I was gardening along the driveway which sent me scurrying, but I’m unsure if it was a cougar or black bear. A reminder that it’s always good to have a shovel or stick in hand in the forest.

Before he headed off to college, Son wanted to plant rhododendrons near the entrance to a section of these paths. I hemmed and hawed, telling him deer would feast on any new bushes. Although he’s currently overwhelmed by a mass of science classes, I know he’ll get a kick out his vision-come-true. These are Rhododendron rosea elegans  spring bloomers.

After a bountiful  rain it always seems like the vegetables have grown exponentially. Broccoli and cauliflower beds don’t disappoint! I’m also tickled to be harvesting peapods in November from the volunteer seedlings.

An excellent start to a very promising November!