I don’t know how it happened, but suddenly, it is November! It is probably a typical November — so far — if there can be a “typical” for Colorado. It’s dry, temperatures go up and down and some mornings, we have to warm up our vehicles before starting out, even defrosting the windshields on cold mornings. Most of the trees have lost their leaves, and the summer birds have flown off.

It’s a busy time for us, getting cattle settled in and all. Following are a few of November highlights for Pipi’s Pasture and the surrounding area.

• Daylight Saving Time ends this weekend, so there will be more light for morning chores.
• There’s ice to chop off the stock tanks some mornings; it will be time to put heaters in the tanks before long.
• Garden hoses have to be drained in the evening, and tanks have to filled at night, because, even if the    hoses aren’t frozen, they surely are stiff in the morning.
• Everybody is trying to remember what the weather was like this time last year, and each person has his or her own ideas about what it will be like this winter.
• Area residents are putting buckets, blades and snow blowers on their tractors before the snow sets in.
• Area residents are also hauling, cutting and stacking firewood.
• The vacuum is plugged up with pieces of hay and leaves after cleaning the mud room.
• The boot warmer has been pulled out.
• We can see the county road and corral again, because most of the trees have lost their leaves.
• The sounds made by the neighbor’s turkeys remind us that Thanksgiving isn’t far off.
• My prairie flowers are still putting out a few blossoms, so I cover them at night. I also keep the pumpkins covered at night, because the deer ate most of one pumpkin — seeds, pulp, and all.
• Weaning is in progress, and, though the cows didn’t carry on much, the calves did.
• Old Ucky is a little cranky, because the calves are in her side of the corral.
• Lots of semi trucks loaded with cattle trailers pass our house every day.
• The hunters are wondering where the elk went.
• Walking in the dry, fallen leaves makes us feel like kids again.
• The cats depend more on dry food now, as there aren’t as many mice around; the deer also enjoy the cat food.
• Spring kittens are old enough to be on their own now; four black kittens have taken up residence under our backyard storage shed.
• It feels good to be under warm blankets at night.
• We have all begun to realize Christmas is just around the corner — how can that be?