Pre-Halloween Visions Around The Farm

We had our first hard freeze in October, requiring me to break the ice on the stock tank with the handle of a flat shovel. I had to use the handle because the blade was covered with dried manure:

We also had our first snow one night. It didn't pile up, but it lasted most of the next day:

I noticed, as I have in past years, that some of the autumn leaves of Bittersweet Nightshade turn a beautiful purple color:


Combined with its red berries, Bittersweet Nightshade is a lovely plant:


 The pigeons continued to get a screen in their window during the days, but I closed the window during the nights:

The little hens don't seem to care about the cold. They just wish they could go outside. Of course they have no concept of roving, ravenous, chicken eating foxes:

I'm often outside, doing chores, just as the sun breaks above the trees in the morning:

And there's a new vision each morning. This photo was taken about the same time but the next day after the above photo:

I pass this house every time I drive to or from Massena, and they always decorate extravagantly for holidays. But this year they outdid themselves, with a plethora of skulls and skeletons. This is the view from the road, showing human, horse, dog and vulture skeletons, not to mention what appears to be a winged ram skeleton:

I walked up the driveway for a side view, where the cedars supported bats on strings and some of the skeletons were easier to see:


But that wasn't the entire display. On the other side of the driveway they had ghosts, tombstones, vampires, ghouls and pumpkins. Now that's what I call a Halloween display!: