The Edge

Today's photos, taken during a lull in the rainstorm, remind me of a conversation with an old acquaintance who liked living "on the edge." He used to live in Genessee which was not too far from town, but not too close. He could get to town fairly quickly, say a 20 minute drive. But, he could also get pretty remote by driving a half hour in the other direction and go hunting or fishing or just be alone. When I got to know this fellow the road by his house was being paved, and the paved portion was pushing further and further toward Antelope Lake. Traffic to the lake was increasing each year. My friend said, "I like living at the edge, but when the edge moves, I move." And he did!
When I got to work today, I was struck by all the earthworms who'd surfaced and ventured out into the puddles on the driveway. When the rain stopped, the puddles dried quickly and left the worms stranded. So, this post is headed by two photos of dead worms. The worms that were lucky enough to surface in the lawn were able to return to their earthen homes when the rain stopped. As for the lawn, I love seeing the dandelions some up. They come up quickly after each Saturday's mowing. They "learn" to bloom below the height of the lawnmower blades. Then, they go to seed quickly and many of them will grow a tall enough stalk quickly enough so the seeds will catch a wind and spread the species to other lawns. Viva the dandelions! The gophers have surfaced, too. Many little mounds of soil and some big ones are indicators of lots of subterranean activity. I'd love to be small enough for a day to explore those burrows. Along the fence row, separating lawn from pasture, most of the "weeds" have turned brown, but there's just enough warmth and moisture to support some late-summer blooming. There were a few goldenrod, a few daisies, some mullein and star thistles. Some sort of seeds must have been released in the lawn because there were lots of enthusiastic blackbirds landing, flying, and landing again, eagerly pecking at something. Or maybe it was bugs. I couldn't stay long enough to find out. Last, in keeping with the Awesome Autumn theme promoted by the Visitors Bureau, I end with a photo of poplar leaves on the ground. A very nice 10-minute walk yielded lots of interesting sights. Click on any photo above for a closer view and a caption.