As you can see, autumn is not quite finished and we have had our first snowfall. This is the second morning with a new skiff of snow. Makes me think of Christmas and snow tires (which I am in the process of purchasing). Usually the first snowfall is October 11, so we are a bit early this year.

Tired of receiving those unwanted telemarketing calls??? Now we have a Do Not Call List you can register with. "If you are a consumer you can choose to reduce the number of telemarketing calls you receive by registering your residential, wireless, fax or VoIP telephone number on the National DNCL. " This is made possible by the CRTC, an agency of the Canadian Government. The link to register is : https://www.lnnte-dncl.gc.ca/index-eng .

And, with the elections on the horizon, I was just sent an email which is definitely anti-Harper, as you can see from this excerpt: " Fortunately, voting strategically has just gotten a whole lot easier. There is now an amazing website, www.voteforenvironment.com, that is tracking every riding in the country and making up-to-the-minute suggestions on how best to fight Harper. It is the coolest example of Canadian grassroots democracy since the Free Trade comic book." I clicked the link and found the site interesting. You may too.

Finally, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. If you want Ellen DeGeneres to send your friend/mom/sister, whomever, a wake-up call, just click here, fill in the blanks and send the call. It's fun and it's a good reminder.

Pouring Gold

For those of you that know him, Shaun made the front page of the Whitehorse Daily Star newspaper today. There is also a full page story called Proving Gold Mining Meets Ethical Standards. Above is the front page photo and caption.

Skagway Road

Just a few photos of the drive to the coast. Whatever the season, it is always worth driving the two hours to Skagway just for the scenery, something we never tire of and we always look at it with eyes you would think have never seen it before. This is what makes living in the Yukon worthwhile!

Ahhhh, guess where we drove this weekend. Yet another trip to Skagway, Alaska. Nancy just purchased a new car and wanted to try it out, and considering the last cruise ship will soon depart Skagway's waters, the shops will soon close and consequently large sales were calling. We were lucky, it wasn't raining. The drive in the autumn is beautiful and although the bears are filling up on berries for their long winter nap, we saw none. The only wildlife we saw on the road was a squirrel. Arriving at the lunch hour, we stopped at Poppies for a bite to eat. Their gardens, while still beautiful, are seeing the last of summer. The food once again was excellent! We then proceeded to shop till we dropped but alas, even with the sales on, nothing caught our eye. My favourite shop was closed and there are so many diamond stores, they all start to look the same after a while. The wind in the wee city was brutal. We almost bought hats and winter coats! And on the way home, my favourite ice cream cone store in Carcross was also closed. Guess summer is over and I'll have to wait another two seasons for an ice cream treat.

Autumn

I wish I had my camera with my on my drive to Lake Laberge yesterday afternoon. The sun was shining and the hills and mountains were a myriad of colour. Iris told me that she was in Dawson City last weekend and the trees are now bare there, but down here it is breath-taking.

One of my favourite flowers, the ice flower, is now in full bloom in my garden. The colours are so bright and cheerful. Thanks to Gramma who grows these beauties from seed each year and graciously shares them with me.

Caleb

I have already told you about Caleb whistling the tune "Whistle While You Work" anytime anyone walks past him (or if the wind blows) and about the neighbours querying me about where that whistling tune is coming from. Well, Caleb has been silent for the last little while and I have discovered why. His battery (yes he lives on battery power, he's not a real gnome) was found hidden well under a rock in my rock garden. How did that happen???

Had a birthday lunch for Ev today along with my ol' neighbour Helen. Ev just had a knee replacement and still has trouble getting around so we took lunch into her house and enjoyed an afternoon eating and chatting with her. She also still has problems with her rotator cuff which she tore last October when she fell - I can sympathize there as I am currently having physio done on my rotator cuff - a painful affair. And, with all of her medical problems, she is still smiling. Happy Birthday Ev!
By the way, as both Ev and Helen know their birds, the bird below is a Wilson Warbler, in case you were wondering.

Maybe it's from living next door to an ornithologist, or maybe it's from having lived next door to Gramma for 18 years, but I do notice birds. I had a flock of these little yellow birds in my trees and bushes this past week - don't know what they are but they sure are pretty - and fast. I was lucky to get a picture of one of them as they take off as soon as they land. By the way, notice the rain drops on the branches??? Just heard that the Yukon has had the coldest and wettest summer in 35 years, a fact my friend vouched for as she came north 35 years ago and remembers that summer. Now there is snow atop the mountains so even when it is sunny (yes, it was sunny ALL day yesterday!!!!!) you can feel fall in the air. Below the snow caps, the mountains are a palett of crimson and gold and at ground level, the trees are beginning to turn bright yellow. I love this time of year. No more deciding whether to wear shorts or jeans, a sleeveless shirt or t-shirt nor hoping the day will bring the sun AND heat. The summer clothes are now packed away and each day has the crisp smell of autumn in the air.