November Snow

Summer is a distant memory and autumn is already on its way out, but Morris the gardener has a huge task on his hands – clearing leaves from the orchard. He shrugs on his overcoat, dons hat and gloves, and makes his way across the soggy lawn and through the walled kitchen garden to the orchard. With fruit long gathered and branches almost bare, this will be one of his last jobs of the year.

He watches a squirrel run up the trunk of a tree, and a crow balance on the fence, and mutters to himself, ‘Early snow would be the easy way out of working outdoors today’. The crow looks at him with its pure white irises and emits a long, low caw. And there they are, the first flakes fluttering onto its black wings as it takes off – snow in November.

Kim M. Russell, 6th November 2023

Image by Photikus Production on Unsplash

I’m hosting the dVerse Poets Pub Prosery this Monday with ‘November for Beginners’, a poem by Rita Dove. I particularly like the opening of this poem, which I chose for the prompt: ‘Snow would be the easy way out’, which is like a challenge to this notoriously difficult month.

We are writing stories with beginning, middle and end, with a limit of 144 words, including the line(s) from the poem.

51 thoughts on “November Snow”

  3. This is gorgeous writing, Kim! I especially love; “The crow looks at him with its pure white irises and emits a long, low caw.” They always seem to know just what we are thinking! ❤️❤️❤️

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  8. Thanks for hosting and for the prompt Kim.
    I love the implication(?) Of the crow providing snow for the gardener to have an easier day.
    It’s interesting that we both took the ability for snow to disrupt work in such different ways.

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    1. Thank you, Dianne. We’ve had rain and floods and, although the sun was out yesterday and this morning, some villages are still hard to get through. At least we don’t have snow.

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  16. I liked reading your story, Kim. The use of the line prompt was delicious. And as always, I read it first to see how the prompter used her/his own prompt. You did not disappoint.
    I wrote a very short tale, challenging myself to 44 words. I haven’t written since mid October, you are first. Saying that since we just got home yesterday noon, I have a lot of chores. We cruised using a 12-day jaunt from Ft Lauderdale, Florida, into the Caribbean and the out at Galveston, Texas. Not the U.K. this time. I, and Mrs Jim, were running away for my birthday. It was a biggie, 90. Our daughter is in London for her job work, B.P, until November 17. The next day she has a party for me and family arranged.
    ..

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    1. This was too long to tell you of my personal episode with leaes and snow and furnace “job” in excange for a basement apartment rent. Someday, or maybe on my other blog now. If not, then coming Friday.
      ..

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    2. Firstly, and most importantly, belated happy 90th birthday, Jim. What a milestone, and what a way to celebrate it, I’ve only been up a while; had to feed the cats and drink a cup of tea before the next round of reading and commenting, but I will get around to yours soon. Thank you for your lovely comment about mine!

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  20. You made Morris come alive for me …. I can visualize him in the garden, clearing tools in hand. Nice prose Ms. Kim. We have snow on our mountains, not at 3,600 ft. altitude where we are …. but soon, soon.

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  22. the first flakes fluttering onto its black
    wings as it takes off – snow in November.

    Happiness to receive the early signs of Winter. Some welcome the cold months for reasons of their own. Wonderful writing Kim!

    Hank

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  24. Brings back memories for me. I went to a place of reflecting on how Morris has to go out through that sodden lawn etc, and I found myself thinking I’ll just tend the fire and have a cuppa.

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