Goat's Beard

Mid-morning yesterday found the dogs and I sulking in the ditch across from the neighbor's old barn.

Why were we sulking? Well, we had just finished "helping" Husband load a steer onto the trailer, and at times it seemed we were NOT much help.......the dogs by being IN the wrong place at the wrong time, and me by being a chicken and not staying in the right place at the right time! The problem is that when a 1000 pound+ steer is galloping towards me, I tend to jump out of the way, meaning, of course, that the steer is then not steered in the right direction, and we have to start all over again! Anyway, poor Husband just shakes his head and glares. I've told him many times that he married the wrong woman........he should have looked around for a stronger, BRAVER wife than I am! But, who thinks of that at age 16 while preoccupied with flirting in high school study hall!

Actually, the inspiration for this blog's name came to me when I was "helping" Husband out in the steer lot one day. Isn't that a charming thought?!

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So, there we were in the ditch amongst the newly-blooming "Yellow Goat's Beard". Quite a strange name for a plant. Its scientific name is even worse....... trapopogon pratensis! This plant has personality quirks.......its flowers always face to the EAST, for one thing! (Here's lookin' at you, blog readers........obviously, this photo was taken looking to the west.)

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"You don't ride on Superman's cape,

You don't spit into the wind,

You don't pull the mask off the ol' Lone Ranger,

And, you don't mess around with Slim (or is it Jim?)"

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HOWEVER, it is okay to go right ahead and wrestle with the Goat's Beard! That's what I was attempting to do in the next photo.......trying to get the stubborn flower head to face SOUTH in order to "pose" with the fencepost in the background! I had little success.......this bloomin' blossom definitely has a mind of its own!

If you found yourself disoriented on the prairie, perhaps these east-pointing flowers could help you regain your bearings!

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Below, on the left, is a closed-up Goat's Beard. The flowers are open in the mornings, if the sun is shining. They then close up shop by early afternoon, or if the day turns cloudy.

And, here below, we catch a Goat's Beard fraternizing with a flock of phlox.......and, by golly, a lone little white wild strawberry blossom down below, too!

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(Hey........who sang the song which includes the verse quoted above?? The tune and words came to mind as I was taking these Goat's Beard photos, but it took my aging brain a day to recall the singer's name. Who is it?)