Sunday Morning, Early Fall

Weed Walk

We took our usual Sunday morning ramble- it was hazy and sticky and the mosquitoes were awake and hungry, but at least it wasn't storming (yesterday, I don't think we went an hour without thunder). This morning, I took the camera along and noted some pretty weeds.

The milkweeds are blooming. Their flowers smell like cinnamon and cloves, a scent that enchants me. The ants are equally enchanted. Later, the pods will mature and dry and the seeds will float away like dandelion seeds.

Bull Thistle has a beautiful flower...

And nasty everything else.

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Wild roses are delicate and grow close to the ground.

I have always called these plants Cockleburs, but Google tells me that they're Buffaloburs. We also have Cockleburs but they're much less vicious than these things. These are evil. Pure evil.

By comparison, the Canada Thistle is pretty benign. Unless you step on one in your bare feet.

And these, obviously, aren't weeds. They're a flock of Turkey Vultures which have taken up residence at the South Dakota Developmental Center. Big birds they are, and stately. And creepy. They've been here all season, and I finally remembered to take a picture. Like all vultures, they're carrion eaters. I wonder if they know something that we don't.

Sunday Walk

In about a month, I'll be able, once again, to post pictures of the things I'm working on. But I still have 3 projects left to knit for the Fair Isle book (a pair of socks, which I should finish today, a pair of gloves whose yarn could arrive tomorrow, and a shawl whose yarn should arrive Wednesday). (Yeah, you read that correctly- a Fair Isle shawl!)(!!!). But the end is in view- the final weeks are going to be like the final weeks of every book- hectic and full of End of the Book Breakdowns. And probably sporadic, photo-filled, blog posts.

In the meantime, please continue to put up with my general blather (as opposed to my usual specific blather). We walked into town to get the paper this morning again.

Can you spot the anthill? It was too chilly for them to be out and about, doing their little anty things, but as soon as the sun appears, the top of that mound will be roiling.

The trees have a green tinge. Leaves are not far behind.

A week of sunny days, and these ornamental crabs will be in full bloom, and beautiful to behold.

When creek banks wash away, the fences are left hanging.

Lilac leaves!

These old-style grain elevators are disappearing as quickly as they can be torn down and replaced with huge steel bins. Even the smallest South Dakota towns had one next to the train tracks. The new bins are big, but squat, and they're not visually impressive. Our skylines will look empty without these elevators.