a September walk

I went for a walk on one of my precious Days Off, somewhere I've never been, in one sense, somewhere extremely familiar in another. This section of the Louisville Loop (http://www.louisvilleloop.org) opened not long ago, and I walked about a mile and a half and back. Then I drove home over roads that I used to drive to work every day (until I moved to the city) and went from my starting point to my turning around point in about five minutes instead of an hour.

Just a little distance from the parking space the trail goes under the road alongside Pope Lick creek. If you kept going upstream and follow the right branch (er, the correct branch) you would come to the place where I lived until I was seven.

Even here, where it's about to empty into Floyd's Fork, the creek is shallow most of the time. My father and I used to wade upstream from our place until we got to a place where it was too deep for my three or four year old sized boots. 

This trail is intended for cycling as well as (maybe more than?) walking, so it's very well paved.

Boneset is one of my favorite wild flowers, and not scarce.

I went on up through the woods to the top of the hill, which was very much like pastures I used to walk in not so very far from there.

Clearly former pasture, though without any fencing I don't know what they'll do with it now. .

This is the top of the hill, and I went down to the next road crossing, intending to go farther, but the lack of any restrooms anywhere near where I had parked decided me to turn back. Much of this trail is built on a right-of-way through private property, so if you step off the trail behind a handy tree you're trespassing.
And there are lots of tempting trees.

On my way back I encountered these two half-grown fawns. Spots barely visible.

I was standing on the trail less than fifteen feet from them, and they were curious but completely unalarmed. They continued browsing as I took many more pictures, expecting them to take off any moment, and wanting to get them in flight.

In fact, I left before they did. See the pricked ears?

That was caused by the man on a reclining tricycle, who had a radio (why??? in the woods???) on his bike. Because it was a tricycle, when he saw them he was able to come to a halt without standing up, which might have spooked them, and when I gave up and walked off he was still there watching them.

I went back towards where I started, seeing a lot more this blue flower, which I don't recognize, and could swear I've never seen before, but I didn't take any more pictures of it, which is a pity as coming from the other direction I might have gotten a clearer one.

I intend to walk more of this trail, and to make it a regular part of my walking, especially in wet weather. I'm inclined (as a walker, not biker) to sneer at such smooth pavement, but I truly hate wet feet.

fall flowers

I ought to cut these down, since I'm allergic to goldenrod, but they're just too pretty to kill.

Since goldenrod pollen (unlike ragweed) is very heavy, it doesn't really bother me out in the yard; the problem is when I drive with my windows open along roads where it's blooming all over the ditches. I should drive with my windows closed and use the air conditioner, and avoid itching eyes and stuffy nose for a day after, but somehow I don't.

Other wild plants I cherish in my yard:

I let most of the poke weed grow. The birds love it, and are working hard to spread it around.

Almost finished, there.

waterfall at work

My boss has been talking about building a koi pond in the atrium for years, and saying it would be nice to have a waterfall, too. I was picturing some water trickling slowly over rocks for a total fall of about a foot. What she was picturing….

Again with the deja vu

Last time there was snow.

Again, it completely missed the cars, and this time it didn't even block where I turn around.

It's not as long as the one last winter, but it's as large.

I'm grateful this tree is no closer to the house.

determined germination

This must be a seedling from last year's marigolds in pots on the steps, because this year's marigolds have been nowhere nearby. 

The violets and the crabgrass are also pretty happy in that crack, which collects pine needles all winter. 

cayenne for a year

This year's cayenne pepper crop was successful. There are six drying up there, although they don't show up well enough to count. Since I seldom use it for anything but quiche (which I make about once a week) that should last me more than a year, once it has dried and I've ground it in the coffee grinder.

Satisfying.

chicken heritage

As I was growing up, I frequently heard my grandmother and her younger sister argue--acrimoniously--about which breed of chicken was preferable. My grandmother strongly favored Buff Orpingtons: "good layers and good meat birds both" she said. My aunt would snort and say "White Leghorns! Nothing lays better! And they produce plenty of meat, too!" When I was old enough to read up on chickens, I agreed with my grandmother, but I didn't say so when they got to arguing, because after all, I'd never kept chickens, and they had, although not for many, many years.

Then, after my father moved in with me, I was going through papers from his basement, (there are still tons to go) and found a letter to my grandmother from her mother. This printed return address on the envelope looks as though she herself sold Brown Leghorns. I distinctly remember that Sis didn't say just "Leghorns," she'd say "White Leghorns," so neither sister followed in her mother's footsteps completely.

In recent years, I have thought I ought to try bantams, since as a single person I don't get through a whole lot of eggs, even though I do bake a lot, but by the time I actually get around to trying this I don't know if the breeds will still exist.