The Visitor And The Vine

There is no doubt the seasons are changing.  The long dry summer didn't leave much variety to the landscape and if our leaves change colors they will simply be to different shades of brown.  Leaves have been falling all summer due to the stress of the heat and drought.  It did indeed look like Fall for most of August and September, just not as colorful.

Two weeks ago as we were driving to work and school, I noticed in the sky, the familiar pattern of geese in formation.  This delightful sight of birds, harbingers of  Fall, were headed south.  Their journey in progress with seasonal changes chasing them to warmer regions.  Seeing them was as good as hearing them.  Anyone that has heard geese on their migrational route knows their sound.  Their fluttering coo is unmistakable.  The sound makes one look up and around until finally you find the flock either in formation or in complete albeit temporary disorganization.  A sign and sound of Fall.

Listening to a radio gardening program brought a migration recording site to my attention.  Journeynorth.com is a place where people can  record migrational sightings of various birds and insects.  It was not long before I saw the first Monarch butterfly in my back yard.

I joined Journeynorth and soon began recording the sightings of the Monarchs as they passed my way.  I would only see one butterfly at a time but really, one is magnificent enough.  These darling creatures, alone or in massive groups, are a sight to behold.  There really is nothing like the Monarch. 

Every child knows a Monarch when they see one.  There are thousands of other kinds of butterflies but you know a Monarch instantly.  Their brilliant orange and black colors stand out more than enough to catch one's eye.  Monarchs flying solo have fluttered around my back yard, passing through, checking out the landscape and resting on this one  particular vine growing on my side fence.  Each sighting was reported and recorded on the Journeynorth site.  There seems to be a great deal of participation as this journey has been charted for all to see.

This evening, after work, I noticed yet another lone Monarch flitting and fluttering around my back yard.  It lingered around the vine and the fence.  Flexing it's lovely wings, it inspected this vine that the summer could not kill.  I begged my daughter to grab her camera and within minutes we had the following photo of our visitor.

The camera revealed what my eyes could not detect.  This hardy vine that has endured searing temperatures and only one rain in six months had growth.  Perhaps it is the making of the little purple flowers I have seen on the vine in the past, perhaps it is simply stretching to new lengths.  Whatever it's doing, the Monarchs love the vine.  Love it enough to linger and spend great amounts of time inspecting and resting on it.

The Monarchs make their annual pilgrimage from the USA to Mexico following a route they have never followed before, heading to a destination they have never seen.  Driven my instinct, they fly thousands of miles to one single place where they remain protected from the harshness of Winter.

It's a fascinating notion. A mystery flying delicately before us for a short time, then on to another yard and another vine.  If you happen to see the Monarchs this Fall, take a moment to ponder their journey and soak in the sight.  Soon they will be gone and we will have to wait until Spring to see them again.

A simple yet remarkable gift from Mother Nature.

One Glorious Day

It might not have been rain falling for several days soaking the parched land of  My Town, but the dry front yesterday brought a most magnificent day today.

The air cooled overnight into the 50s and this morning we felt the chill of the season's change.  It is finally here.

I awoke early after some eleven hours of sleep.  I must have needed the rest because sleep could not be denied or delayed.  Not the audio of the high school football game nor the emails could keep my eyes open.  I surrendered to slumber and my body was at rest.

The morning found me with my energy returned and before 9:30, I was putting away the groceries from shopping at the local grocery store.  My purchases are fairly routine as I seldom stray from products I know are healthy for me and My Son.  We then headed to the Producers Market and I secured locally raised and processed meats for the week.  I was delighted to find a large tomato there as well.  It did come home with me.  I always thought eating healthy would cost more money but actually, the grocery bill has been reduced.  Some of the items are priced higher but when you eat less fattening foods, you don't find yourselves starved all the time.  The body gets what it needs and isn't constantly craving foods in it's effort to secure the nutrients it needs.

This afternoon, the air was warm but so much cooler than it has been.  I watered the surviving pepper plants and pondered the plight of my tomatoes.  They have simply not grown much and it has been such a struggle to keep them alive during this drought.  It has taken time and money with absolutely no yield.  I have come to the decision that I will thank them for trying and then gently pull them from the soil.  That garden will be put to rest for the winter.  The peppers now have blooms on them and I expect to have a yield before the first bite of winter arrives.  That is certainly all I can ask from plants that have suffered so much during the intense heat of the past few months.

This glorious Fall day found highs in the 80s.  The air feels clean and clear.  Its a most beautiful day to be outside.  It feels like we have finally made the turn and hopefully the cooler days are ahead.  We need that as the sting of this past summer does linger.

It became official this past week.  The Texas drought is expected to last for years, perhaps a decade.  While most people would hang their heads in defeat, we naturally look to a form of adaptability and sustenance.   If the ground will remain dry all winter, then when it does rain, it must be harvested and used.  People  have survived droughts and we will be no different.  It just takes embracing the reality and preparing for it.

As with life itself and the curve balls it tends to throw at us now and then, preparation and adaptability are critical to quality of life.  So we prepare, we adapt and we find quality.  The answer to any question is there, you just have to seek it.  The solution to any problem is obtainable, you just have to be brave enough, resilient enough and determined enough to find it and then put it into action.

Long Tailed Caps And The Entrance Of Fall

So far this week, I have yawned more times than my entire life combined.  I sleep fairly well but by the end of the work day, I feel compelled to crawl in my bed and start my good nights sleep.

We have noticed the lingering darkness that is now the morning trip to work and school.  No longer does the sun pierce our eyes as we start our day.  The darkness is just beginning to fade these days as we head out and the evening finds the sun setting a little earlier.  The mornings now have a cooler feel to them.

I've recognized that the body, at least MY human body, loves the onset of the winter months.  The notion of longer nights and shorter days fit right in with my idea of long slumbering nights. I do believe I could easily wear one of those long tailed nightcaps so often featured in written and pictured lore of long ago.

After what seemed like an endless summer of high temperatures and no rain, coupled with a horrendous fire that destroyed so much of our town, the mere idea of cooler weather and shorter days is just simply delightful.  Perhaps it is just the change we all need.  Putting this long miserable summer behind us will help in so many ways.  Before long the holidays will be upon us and there will be much to look forward to.  But with this change, I wonder, is it possible that there are people who hibernate better than others?

Normal summers, summers with rain and yard work welcome those long days.  There is a need for time.  This summer was just one very long hot day or so it seemed.  I preferred the dark during the summer, at least that way I couldn't see how dry and dead everything looked.

As I recall, the official time change will occur in November, apparently a full month and a half after my body has recognized the need for it.  Already, I'm feeling the slow down and the anticipation of the night that comes early every day.  I welcome the cold nights that are to come.  It will be a great relief from the months and months of excessive heat.

This day is winding down and it has tired me or the seasons changing has tired me.  It is not even 9pm and I am ready to curl up in my bed and bid this day adieu.  So as to my earlier question about the adaptability of humans to hibernate, I may well be the poster child for hibernation.  It is innate and uncontrollable.  It is part of who I am and I'm sure stamped within a part of my DNA are the words PROLONGED SLEEP.  Of course they most certainly appear as little tiny letters.

Where does one find a long tailed nightcap?