Thoughts on a Sunny Autumn Day

The air feels much cooler these mornings, even when the sun is shining. And that sun seems to go to bed early!
Last evening, as I was drinking my tea after dinner, I heard a small "scruffle" on the Cat deck.
Expecting that this would be one of the resident Douglas Squirrels, I got up to peak out the window. Didn't seem to be anything there. And then I spotted him (her?). A small, black mouse, hiding behind the Hostas. I could also hear a crow in the trees in the ravine - perhaps that's what he was hiding from. This little guy is a new resident in my back 40, and certainly welcome (provided he stays on his side of the glass).
The scruffle birds are back. Haven't seen them all summer. These guys look like robins (same colouring), but they're bigger. They race around the ground, under the salal and ferns, scratching like crazy. Not sure what they eat, but they do not seem to disturb the plants, but they make an amazing amount of noise - sounding like a person running through the yard!
The big leaf maples have all turned "orangey", not very attractive trees but certainly tough. I'm looking forward to my vine maple leaves changing colour. One e small tree just lights up the whole yard.

What To Do With A Fallen Hemlock?

At the very back of our lot, we have this fallen giant. It died shortly after we finished building, and we thought the cause was "Global Warming" - the 90's were hotter and drier in this area that the previous decade had been. After some research, and many conversations with local tree people, I have come to the conclusion that the sewer lines that were dug across the back of this lot (when the area was subdivided) were more likely to be the cause of its premature death, as that digging damaged its roots. Now that it has become a Nurse Log, I'm trying to find ways to work it into my landscape plan - if you live in my yard, you work!
It is growing neat mushrooms, and the squirrels love to use it as a highway to the wild, but I've come up with a different job for that giant (it was 45 ft.+). That log is going to hold up the back of my lasagna garden. There's lot of sticks , leaves, worn-out soil, shredded paper (tax time) and compost to build the layers, and then I can plant some sun loving perennials and shrubs to hide that neighbour's shed and deter those hungry deer. I'll post a picture of the finished bed, before it's planted. Right now, while it is in process, it looks disgusting.