Branch of Autumn

Here they are! Drum roll, please! Meet the first autumn-toned leaves on our farmstead. They adorn one lower limb of an old maple tree. I have no clue why the leaves on that branch have changed color ahead of the rest of the tree……it seems rather random, but who can fathom the ways of nature, right? Right.

Ok, I will now wait patiently for more fall colors to appear. Maybe it will be necessary to dig into last year’s photo files to find seasonal scenes to post; last fall was very colorful. I do recall now that “rhymsie” chided me last year for posting so many autumn photos, so I’ll have to be careful.

Today has brought a rather dramatic change in the weather, leading us from the warmth of the previous weeks to a sudden blast of blustery coolness. That’s to be expected, of course, considering that we’re in the last days of September. “Wake me up when September ends”…..isn’t that a song? I enjoy the month of September, and feel a minor sadness now as it concludes for another year. But, not to fret…..looming on the horizon is October, usually a very beautiful time, too.

*

Roller-Coaster Day

Its been one of those days. My mood on a roller coaster. Up high---like the hawk on the post, and then, KA-THUNK, back down to the ground……like Gray the Cat.

Good thing I don’t spend much time around other people; they would surely become mighty annoyed with me.

The photos in this post have no meaning or purpose at all; they just happened to have been taken this morning, during one of my up moments. Shortly thereafter, and entirely due to fault of my own, my state of mind plummeted. (Think Wile E. Coyote free-falling over one of those many cliffs.) If you actually were here with me, you would most certainly agree…..um, that it was my own fault, and it was annoying. Good thing you are not here. Be glad…..be very glad.

Hopefully, you are having a pleasant Saturday!

*

SkyWatch – Variety of the Week

Welcome to this SkyWatch Friday blogpost. It features a variety of scenes from this past week.

Plus, a variety of photo border options…….all available in Windows Live Writer. Cool, eh!? What would you write on the instant photo below? “Wishing you were here”, maybe?

There have been beautiful sunsets lately……though, the calves in this next photo could care less, of course.

The skies this morning were colored with an overcast of gray. This afternoon…..voila!……the sun magically appeared and swept the drabness away, treating us to eye-catching contrasts of fluffy clouds and vivid blue sky.

Thank you so much for stopping by!

Please visit Skyley.blogspot.com to find many, many more SkyWatch links. It looks like this post is #358, so you have alot of traveling to do. Hop to it!

*

More Dirt Road Scenes

Bear with me……I had earmarked a few more dirt road photos to use here on the blog. The curved Queen Anne’s Lace stem in the above scene caught my eye as I was a-wandering along the old by-way last Sunday afternoon. That suddenly reminded me of a song we used to sing in grade school:

“Oh, I love to go a-wandering…..and as I go, I love to sing……my knapsack on my back! Val-da-ree, val-da-rah…..”

*

Next we have a green bug on a golden flower. I never have much luck finding flowers devoid of bugs……why is that? Grrrr. Oh well, the bugs can serve as a conversation piece, perhaps.

Next we have an unlikely couple……Wild Carrot (daucus carota)---the true name of Queen Anne’s Lace--- making time with a wily Foxtail. Be careful there, girl!

A rosy-toned Foxtail:

And, next, a spent something or other, whatchamacallit sort of wildflower. Sorry, I’m too lazy to try and figure out what it is.

Lastly, a stand of Indian Grass, a regular throughout the Tall-Grass Prairie landscape.

Have a great day!

*

Weary, Worn, and Leaning

Here are a few photos from my amble down the dirt road on Sunday afternoon. Sunny, warm, and beautiful was the day!

Here are some dried-up, spent Queen Anne’s lace bundles. There were scads of them lining the ungraded roadway.

They may appear used up and worn out, but they surely make great subjects for photos……in my opinion, anyway. The one above almost looks like a bird’s nest.

Aw, this next scene is sweet……”Lean On Me, Dearest”, it seems to say. Yeah, sure, go right ahead and do that if necessary. Never mind the fact that these two bundle-heads simply fell together at random due to their existence as neighbors there along the roadside.

I hope you are having a super day. Sorry to blog and run, but the lawn tractor is calling my name…..

*

Elderberries, GREEN, and Goldenrod

Its edited to be almost cartoonish, but this photo simply shows elderberries and a few sprigs of goldenrod. Both plants are prevalent along the highways and byways in our area right now.

As Saturdays go, its been a quiet one around here. Warm, a bit on the muggy side, and just plain calm all around. What more could one ask for?

*

The First Turned Leaves

Its silly, but I get excited over the first turned leaves of autumn. Found this lone red branch in one of our maple trees today. I have no idea why its turned and the rest of the tree isn’t, but who cares. Its bright and pretty and I wanted to show you.

Its been a humid day. Blah. Not my cup of tea. Tonight we have a football game to attend, and it looks to be a pleasant evening for that.

Hey…..you have an enjoyable evening, too, and may your weekend get off to a great start!

*

Messy Flower Garden

The flower garden in the back yard is a cluttered mess, thanks to the mixed flower packets I tossed out there last spring.  Bright color abounds, however, and especially so in noonday sunshine like we had yesterday.

Zinnias and marigolds are commonplace flowers.  My mom would plant a row of them in her garden every spring and I’ve often done the same.  (Yikes, we girls eventually become our mothers!)  For most of my life, though, I considered marigolds and zinnias ho-hum flowers……nothing special, old hat, hardly worth noticing.  Just something that’s there every year.  Ho-hum.

Honestly, its been blogging and a digital camera which finally broke through the blindness, opening my eyes to beauty right in my own back yard.  Modern technology has its good points, I guess, and, heck, it keeps me from spending too much (or any) time doing dumb old boring housework.

*

Have a super great day yourselves, please.  I hope you’ll have time to notice the beauty around you.

*

[P.S. – Forgot to acknowledge today’s date of 9/11.  Will take time to remember those who lost their lives on this day.]

*

This Week’s SkyWatch

Its time for SkyWatch again. A hearty welcome and greetings to you! The above picture was taken a week ago, on an evening graced with a stunning sunset. The photo doesn’t do it justice at all, believe me.

These other two photos are from a couple days ago. Grainy and blurry they may be, but I like the big bird on the tree branch. Maybe its a hawk, though I’m not sure.

Thank you for stopping by this SkyWatch post. Please visit Skyley.blogspot.com to find the other SW links for this week. As always, many thanks to the dedicated SkyWatch team of Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise.

Have a great week. Keep your eyes to the skies!

*

Find the Butterflies

The Asters are still a-bloomin’ in the road ditch---just a couple small patches on the south side, but that’s sufficient, and the butterflies seem to think so, too.  Can you find them in the pictures here?  There are two in the photo above, so look closely.

These wild Aster blossoms are just a little over an inch wide, which gives indication of the small size of the butterflies.

Whoops…..I guess there’s no butterfly in the scene below, but there is a bee of some sort…..and a little green bug.  Asters appear to be a popular destination!

*

Wish I could think of something to write about…..a story from the memory bank, maybe; but I’ve blogged so many of them already that its difficult to think of anything new.  Nothing much has been happening on the farm lately.  The end-of-summer lull is upon us and I love it.  Silo-filling won’t start for another week or so.  The lawn’s growth has slowed.  Pumpkins are turning orange---though it seems too early for that with Halloween still many weeks away.  The air has a fullness to it.  A fullness of sounds: crickets, locusts, cornstalk rustlings….and a fullness of stuff: pollen, dust, the first falling leaves.  Not a heaviness, certainly, but a fullness here in the finality of summer and the first inklings of autumn.  Anticipation of harvest.

Have a wonderful day!  Smile. Listen. Be kind. (notes to self)

*

Ambulation

Here’s a couple more shots from last year……taken on September 13th. The soybean fields were simply gorgeous then……only for a few days, though, then the leaves turned brown and droopy, waiting for harvest.

I remember the walk that day; the weather was overcast, but warmish. Typical September, my favorite time of year! Unfortunately, I’ve fallen out of the habit of taking long walks, and need to remedy that. I feel so much better---physically AND mentally---when brisk walking is a part of my daily routine. The heat and humidity of summer usually puts a damper on my motivation for ambulation. Autumn weather then comes to the rescue.

Years ago, I worked in a hospital for awhile and that word “ambulate” was part of my daily jottings in patients’ charts. One of my duties was to make sure patients who were able to ambulated per doctors’ orders. Usually, it involved walking to the end of the hall and back, two or three times a day.

Today…..this morning…..I actually did some very needed weeding in the landscaping near the house. Chirping crickets, buzzing locusts, and birdsongs provided background music. Very pleasant, indeed!

I’m heading out for a walk now. Blogging about walking has motivated me to take the plunge and do it.

*

Lovely Weather!

Oh, it is such a BEAUTIFUL day!  The weather is just perfect, typical of early September……sunny, warm, low humidity, light breeze.  I love it!  So why am I sitting here in the house, at the computer, blogging?  Good question.

Mostly, I just wanted to say “howdy” to my friends out there in the blogger world of cyberspace.  Here’s hoping the weather is pleasant in your neck of the woods, too!  Spend some time outdoors today!

*

A Cross and Faith

This photo was languishing in a forgotten file from last year. It seems appropriate for today, a Sunday, and because I do attend a Christian Church. God’s greatest work was done there, so says the Bible, so says the Church.

Anyhow……can you figure out where this photo was taken? And, where the light is coming from? If I weren’t so lazy, I’d offer a prize to the winner. You’ll just have to be content in knowing that you know the answer.

Our pastor had an excellent sermon this morning. He talked about faith, and how works will automatically accompany faith, though we are never to become obsessed over the works that we do. Actually, we are to be oblivious to and unaware of our works, I think.

Have a pleasant Labor Day Sunday!!
*

Its a Setting Sun

Its a hot-air balloon! 

Its a UFO! 

Its a neon bouncing ball!

Nope…..its only a setting sun.

*

Yes, we had another really cool sunset tonight……courtesy of those western wildfires, perhaps.

*

I appreciate the weather we’re having right now…..sunny and warm, with low humidity.  Heavenly!  Riding around on the lawn tractor this afternoon allowed me to soak up plenty of that balmy sunshine.  It felt wonderful!  I think sunshine is good for a person, no matter what the “experts” might say.

*

Found Some Asters

Yes, indeedy…….there were Asters a-blooming in the ditch today. Complete with bugs and butterflies.

*

Found some Blue Lobelia, too, though its definitely past its blooming prime.

I wouldn’t expect you to remember, but last year around this time, there was a cluster of White Lobelia in bloom near where these blue ones are. The white variety occurs only rarely, so said the info I found about it.

*

Its Coming……

Yup……you know what I’m talking about.  Fall is coming.  Autumn, if you will.  My favorite season! 

The above photo was taken on November 5, 2008, during a walk along the road by our farm.  I like this picture very much……its one of my favorites of all the photos I’ve taken.  A bright-toned leaf caught between dark stems.  Caught, but with colors still intact.  I like the background, too……the intriguing blurred “bokeh”.  Bokeh describes the rendition of out-of-focus points of light---that definition is from Kate, blogger/photographer extraordinaire, of the blogs Chronicles of a Country Girl and A Picture A Day.  Her blogs are gorgeous……go take a look!

And, have a great day!  Savor summer’s finale!

*

SkyWatch #60

Welcome! These two photos were taken on September 13, 2008, and I honestly believe the cloud configurations and sky colors of that evening were the most beautiful I have ever seen in my life. If I recall correctly, there was a hurricane going on somewhere in the southern U.S. at the time.

*

Please visit the Skyley website to find all the other SkyWatch links for this week.

As always, many thanks to the dedicated team who oversees the SkyWatch proceedings each week: Klaus, Sandy, Ivar, Wren, Fishing Guy, and Louise.

*

Solomon’s Seal

They look like blueberries, don’t they, but they’re not…..not even close.  This is Solomon’s Seal (a member of the Lily family)…..a large patch of which graces the fencerow near our driveway.  The light green bell-like flowers are long gone, of course, leaving these blue berries, which I don’t think are edible, at least I’ve never heard of anyone eating them…..not even birds.

One of my wildflower books states the following about Solomon’s Seal: 

Typically a woodland plant, but occasional in moist thickets and streambanks in prairie regions, as well as in moist prairies; found throughout the tallgrass region, but mostly in the eastern half.  The roots were used as medicine and food by Native Americans and pioneers, and were ground into flour or eaten boiled.

Hmm…..I should pull up a root sometime and see what it looks like.  I’ve read that if you cut the stem near the root, you will see a Star of Solomon/David design…..hence the plant’s name, of course.  Actually, I peered into a Solomon’s Seal flower one time and noticed a six-sided star design in there, too.  It was very tiny, though…..I practically needed a magnifying glass to see it.

 

Have a pleasant day!

*