Fall is for the fast and furriest

Along with the colorful leaves of fall came cooler temperatures. This was welcomed by many of the Applegate household who sport furry parkas. 

The brisk temperatures seemed to ramp up the canines' energy levels. 

Also exciting the dogs was the fact that the wild animals were on the move preparing for winter. Calls of chipmunks echoed through the woodlands. It reminded me of the "Old McDonald Had a Farm" song. The chorus would have went "with a chip, chip here; a chip, chip there; here a chip; there a chip; everywhere a chip, chip." 

This very vocal chipping had dogs running here and there searching for the sources of the calls to no avail. 

Squirrels were preparing for the upcoming winter as well. Several trail camera photos showed a gray squirrel or two running through the frames. 

The deer were more active as well. "The girls" could almost be seen nightly in the field beside our house. 

However, their nighttime visits to the apple tree in our back yard were most likely the reason for what I have dubbed "Barktoberfest." Dry cool autumn nights with an accessible doggie door meant the Applegate canines would bark at whatever crossed within an acre of the house. 

The dogs weren't the only ones interested in the neighborhood girls. Several large bucks were seen on the trail cameras passing through as the rut is underway. 

Changes in the feather-friends population were also seen. Some spring migrants were passing back through on their trips south for the winter. 

Meanwhile, a new visitor appeared at the bird feeder. A female ring-necked pheasant was spotted looking a little lost. I surmised that she was probably one the game farm raised birds that were released ahead of pheasant season. However, she seemed to currently be sticking to the safety zones around the neighborhood houses. 

Nonetheless, despite the frenzied fall activity, the colorful backdrops provided for some stunning autumn photos. 

The brilliant backgrounds even made the goats Kennedy and Kyle look marvelous. 

I also felt that Lil' Bit should be included in the fall photo fun. He was first placed in a hammock swing that was not to his liking. After that incident, his expression was very snarky.

 That's just the nature of things 'round here.