Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Autumn is Coming On, and Cows Stare at Me

Autumn is coming fast to Ohio
 Horsey is glad for cooler weather
 Cows stare at me
 The evidence is overwhelming
 Sometimes they glare!
 The soybean fields are autumnal, for sure!
 Great mustard-colored fields, some already dry enough to harvest
 It will be a humble harvest this year
 Sheep are still staying in the shade on this farm
 But on this one, they were out and about!
 Munch, munch, munch...
 Did I mention cows...
 Stare...
 At me?
 This sweet gum is beginning to change color
 Apples are ripening
 These are descendants of some of Johnny Appleseed's saplings!
Alack...out of reach
 Maples are turning
 While some summer flowers are still holding their own
 Goldenrod is everywhere...and burros also stare at me
 This cow made me laugh...
 Then stared at me
Goldfinches are hitting the feeders hard these days
As are the sparrows!
Hey, you want to grab some seed? I could eat...
The little chickadees are getting their fill
Obviously
Yes, the birds
And definitely the squirrels
Are fattening up...autumn is here!

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Ohio Menagerie

 This is very representative of my commute...cows, geese, and pastures...
 Cornfields and wildflowers...
Bean fields...
 Rivers, trouty, I am told...
 Coursing their way south to the Ohio
 Dreamy ponds...
Fed by pastoral creeks
Jerseys
Holsteins
 And sheep!
 As the weather cools, they become more active during the day
 Oh, and The Occasional Squirrel
 We have crows
 Counting on dropped fries at Burger King
Silly, gorgeous, brilliant birds
 Striking a pose
 Red-tailed Hawks
Circling over the fields
 And geese, always...
 Some will fly south, but others will come here to winter
Did I mention The Occasional Squirrel?
 He thinks he can fly, too!
 Sparrows, of course...everywhere...happy little birds
 The hummies are stoking their furnaces, preparing to head south
They love our cypress vines
 Wonder what these two are saying?
 I will miss them when they are gone, along with our beautiful flowers
I knew they would love this hanging basket!
 We still have a few daisies, amazingly enough
And our mums are coming on strong
 We even found a volunteer pumpkin vine blooming in our poor, dead yard!
Yes, autumn is coming, and it is an election year...in case you hadn't heard...