Oranges and Owls

I didn’t anticipate this lengthy absence, primarily due to our family being sick most of the month of November. Thankfully, at least for the moment, we’re all back to about 80%.
The month of November saw the close of the Mobile farmers market, and sadly I missed the last day because I was out of town.
November also brought the harvest of our four remaining satsumas and our one Meyer lemon. The satsumas were good, though a bit watery compared to some I’ve had, so I think we may have left them on the tree too long, and a couple seemed to have been touched by frost. The lemon is good. I’m still using it, parceling it out squeeze by squeeze on a variety of things from crepes to salad dressing.

Also of note in the backyard garden, we have cabbages and broccoli starting to head up (though I’ve trimmed the broccoli to encourage growth of side shoots), arugula persisting, some late beet seedlings, lettuce finally starting to take hold, rows of garlic for next year’s harvest, and young fava bean plants.
We’ve also been enjoying the company of a Great Horned Owl. Remember how I complained about our abundance of squirrels? It seems to have caught this predator’s attention, as he (or she) has taken to perching in the top of a tree that leans over our yard, announcing his territory. We’ve heard him any time from 5:45pm to 5:45am, and as well as I can judge he seems to fly from perch to perch throughout the neighborhood hooting. I assume he’s trying to attract a mate, but so far I haven’t heard a second one. I just hope he’s catching squirrels occasionally.