more rain

After we got an inch of rain, I went down to the creek to have a look.

There is more water than there had been, after this extremely dry summer and fall. However--

I could still stand dry shod in the middle of the creek.

Here, I raised my camera ninety degrees from my shoes.

So there is more water; just not enough to fill the whole creek bed.

scratching tree

A long time ago I mentioned the fallen tree I drive past on the way to work that is the best cow scratching-post ever. I finally took a picture.

The arch is just the right height for scratching backs. Unfortunately no one was using it at the time.
The owner came over to see what I was doing, and I talked to her for more than half an hour about local history and wildlife, and her cattle: Murray Greys, a breed I'd never heard of. http://www.murraygrey.org/

These young bulls had come up to check me out, and to complain loudly that I hadn't brought anything to eat. I think I'm in love.

another sign

I've loved these signs for a long time, so I finally took a picture. She's obviously a dairy cow, but not a very good one, or her udder would be bigger, and her chest deeper. Her horns are elegantly curved, though.

sign

I went for a drive to take pictures of things I've seen when I didn't have time to stop, and also didn't have the camera with me. I didn't get as much photographed as I intended, because people talked to me a lot.

I've never been inside this little store/restaurant, but I had noticed this sign the last time I drove past.

They were closed that late in the afternoon, but one of the owners came out and spoke to me, and told me they put the sign up because one man would come on a horse, and leave it right in front of the door, causing a manure problem.

I was delighted with the color of these chrysanthemums against the white paint. They look as though they have benefited from the manure.

hunting for fall color

I almost let the light escape before I got up from my cozy stove and took the camera outdoors. There's not much color left but green and brown.

And blue, of course.

I found red in various shades. (Ah, the mysteries of computer graphics. The middle picture looks too dark to be red in blogger preview, almost black. In my photo-editing software, as well as real life, it looks quite bright.)

And most of all, gold.

I seldom look at this tree from this angle. It's my balcony tree, the one that shades me when I drink coffee outdoors in summer, and that provides the birds and squirrels a stage on which to perform for me. Looking at the Whole Tree is a different experience.

future fence posts

How far into the future I can't say.

Now that the lumber company has cut all the cedar they wanted, what they left behind will be more than enough for the dog yard I want to build. I can probably fence in an acre or two of pasture when I get around to it. All I have to do is collect all the leftover pieces. From all over forty acres. In my spare time.

I love the color of cedar, as well as its weather resistance. I should say colors:

after the rain

There was some rain last week, although not nearly enough to catch us up. Some of the plants got confused and thought spring was here again. I cut this yarrow, complete with leaves, and brought it in to enjoy.

You might be able to see the delicate ferny leaves in this one.

Yarrow usually quits blooming here by early July, so this is a treat. It bloomed after the first patchy frost which must have missed it.

Sunday morning coffee with the Spider Fairy

We try to dress up at work for Halloween, or the day closest to it. Since whatever we wear has to be dog-proof, there are limitations. This year I felt inspired.

A scrub shirt I don't usually wear to work (I wear it to walk in the woods during the warm part of hunting season) and a pack of spiders that I bought years ago by mistake when I wanted spider rings instead. I was worried that the safety pins would come open and stab me when small wiggly dogs tried to climb up my chest, but it didn't happen.

Some glitter makeup.

It is extraordinarily hard to take a picture in the mirror without letting the camera hide much of the subject. Above, you can see some of the glitter makeup, which was supposed to make a web pattern on my face, but didn't quite (glitter makeup is quite independent-minded), and the spiders on the shirt.
Below, you can see at least one of the spiders in my hair, but the glitter in the hair does not show up.

I wore it again Sunday while stewarding at a dog show, and received many compliments and a few "Ew! I know they're artificial, but--ew!" comments.