Autumn...

geese

Donna pulled the lawnmower out of the garage and mowed the backyard yesterday evening. The Grass was growing as fast as she cut it down. Grass grows in two seasons here, Spring and Fall. This is a really great time to plant a new lawn. The days are cool and moist, and just right for sending down grass roots and sending up blades of grass to tickle Sadies rear end.

I went out on the deck to watch her, and as the mower stopped, I heard geese again, but could not see them. They were far away, so I assumed they were out of sight beyond the alder trees. Eventually I spotted them, waaaaaaaaay up where the airplanes fly, and the flocks just covered the sky! I have never seen so many, so high before. All flying south in a giant wide wedge. Honking, and talking to their leader, encouraging him to keep going, that they were right behind him as he led the way to their wintering over ground. It amazes me how they know when to go, and where to end up. Science even is not really 100% certain, they assume that it is a homing sensor in their brain that allows them to find their way across 10's of thousands of miles of earth to get right back where they came from. Some of these geese had never made the journey, as they were hatched up North in their breeding grounds. They will follow their leader with blind trust that he will get them safely back again. They will then be able to find their way should their leader die the next season. Amazing.

We have had weather system after weather system coming in off the Pacific, and bringing wind. I woke up today to wet weather blowing in on my face. The wind is fresh, and full of moisture, and going pretty fast too. I lay there wondering if I should haul my carcass out of bed, or just lay there and enjoy the weather. Guess which one I did? I am expecting a really good blow before long. We have not had a major wind storm in a year or two, and that is really odd for us. October usually brings the wildest weather of the year. But the month is only 1/2 over!

My sweet peas are still blooming my roses are still flowering, I have a dahlia that has just decided to pop up out of the ground, and the trees are still 1/2 green. I think that we will wake up one morning and find that Autumn has left and winter has hit!! I am looking forward to it...

(Now why is this not showing up?)