Season's Changing, Part 2

 More signs that fall is in the air.

The berries are out. We have white "snow berries" and inky black berries. The deer love both of these tiny treats.

Few flowers are blooming, most are going to seed. The salsify is just about gone, and the asters look very shaggy. Their seeds will blow away soon.

Only 2 flowers--the almighty thistle and Queen Anne's Lace are still blooming. The cone flower is drying up, even the cones are beginning to wilt.

The aspens are just on the verge of turning color

But look at the leaves...they are tired. They protected the tree all summer and now they are ready to be shed.

An empty robin's nest is another sign that summer is fading into fall. Mama robin can hatch up to 5 clutches of babies during a warm summer. But when the season is over, she abandons the nest, as it time to move to warmer climes. 

The Season is Changing

 Fall is definitely in the air. The leaves on the aspens are getting droopy. The understory in the forest is less dense than it was earlier in the summer. The mornings have a bit of a nip in them. But the biggest thing that says the seasons are changing is the look of the fields.  

The green alfalfa fields have been replaced with neatly stacked bales. 

The swathers are working overtime, trying to beat the change of weather that is on the horizon. We are expecting our first freeze on Monday night.

Piggies

A "Pigamid" of Pyrries...sometimes you just have to be funny

(Or is it a Pyramid of Piggies)

 

Stags

It's the time of year when the male deer hang out together. Their antlers are still in velvet. The rut has not started yet. Once the rut begins, the males will not do this. See the other DrC's blog for more information.

Yesterday we had five of these big guys in the backyard. They are majestic.

 

Zucchini

 What do you do with a zucchini the size of a baseball bat? You make something yummy with it. I found this great recipe  that makes 2 loaves of zucchini bread or 24 muffins. Since I own only 1 bread pan and 1 muffin pan...here's the result. 

A dozen zucchini muffins

And a loaf of zucchini bread. 

PS...the muffins are yummy. 

This and That

The piggies keep multiplying...then they get sent to friends. Be careful...a piggy might be heading your way. If you would like a piggy, let me know and I'll send one your way. I like making these little critters.

As aspen forest has eyes

The first golden leaf of the summer. I'm thinking that fall is coming.

 

1964 Comet

This car was made the year I graduated high school...a long time ago. It was NOT the car that every teenager wanted. The car my cohort wanted was a brand new shiny Mustang. While the Comet looked like it was ready to lift-off, it was not "cool" like the Mustang. Nowadays, it's cool.

Don't get me wrong, any high school graduate in 1964 would have taken this cute little beauty if it was a gift. In 1964, the car I was given for college was a 1960 Rambler which was on the bottom of the "not cool" list. Still, it was my car and I could go anywhere a Mustang, or this Comet, could go. That was an interesting learning...the car does not make the girl; the girl makes the car. 

 

The Comet had all the mod-cons that a 1964 sporty car was supposed to have. It was a convertible! Does it get any better than that? Look at the chrome push button radio; and the cool speedometer that went all the way to 120 mph, and the speedometer is not in a circle but on a zoomy horizontal plane...really cool.

The taillights were sleek and she sported tiny fins. It's hard to get better than that (unless it was a Mustang).

When you look in a modern parking lot, you see a sea of similar cars. The distinguishing features are the color (charcoal vs black vs white) and the shape (SUV vs pickup). The modern car looks like a refrigerator box on wheels. Then you see a blast from the past and it's distinctive. It's square-somewhat boxy, finny, colorful and just plain fun. A reminder of times that were ready to blast off into the future.

A Paean to Mt. Moran

About this time of year, in 1973, I saw the Grand Tetons for the first time, It was love at first sight. Something about this wonderful mountain range talked to me. 

Then I saw Mt. Moran at the Oxbows and I knew I would return to this spot over and over, again and again. I cannot think of a prettier place anywhere in the world...and you know I've been around the world and visited over 100 countries. The Grand Tetons and Mt. Moran keep calling me back. 

 

Domestic Arts

Do girls learn the "domestic arts" any more? I wonder about that as I crochet in the evenings watching television. When I was a little girl, it was important to know how to cook, clean, and do needlework. I remember hours spent baking cookies, cooking dinner, or cleaning the house (my job was to empty and clean ashtrays...boy that was a long time ago). These were important skills for any "housewife" in the 50s. It's not the 1950s anymore, and mothers work outside of the home. Many domestic arts have disappeared, yet I still cook, clean and sew.

Along comes 2020, and the world of covid and quarantine and closed businesses are a reality. It's hard to find a restaurant that is open; while stores have limited hours or are closing. Maybe we will see a reason to practice those long forgotten domestic arts. To that end, I'm cooking and baking as I've haven't done in 50 years. I'm trying out new recipes. I made the prettiest loaf of pepper-cheese bread the other day. We saw the recipe on our favorite cooking show, Cook's Country, and gave it a try. What a success. I have become almost fearless in making new and complicated things. 

Then there's the crocheting. As you know, I've been making blankets for charity for years and years. I've branched out to making toys. I've yet to find a charity that wants them, yet I have no trouble giving them away to kids, both young and old. My current favorite toy is a mini-piggy. I have a dozen "orders" for piggies. I'm making hedgehogs and teddy bears too. Maybe, domestic arts are going to make a comeback?

Mid-August

 

It's mid-August, but you can already feel a change in the air. It's not full summer any more...it's not fall either...it's somewhere in between. The days are warm and sunny. The bluebird blue skies are clear and clean. There is a whisper on the breeze. You have to listen for it very carefully, but deep down the whisper gives a hint of what is to come. It's a warm, drying breeze. It takes the green from the leaves. It takes the color from the wildflowers. Summer in the high country is sweet, beautiful, and elusive. 

Piggies Find a Home

My three little piggies found their forever home. 

I named them Wilber, Piggly Wiggly and Shirley...

And now they are being loved by 3 of my favorite kids. 

It's important for little piggies to have a home.