I ALWAYS THINK OF THEM AS OLD FRIENDS

 ON MY WAY TO MY WALKING SPOT WEDNESDAY NIGHT, I NOTICED THIS RIBBON OF COLOR BEHIND ME

I've been aware of the days getting shorter, so after posting Wednesday night's blog, I headed out to see what kind of a sunset we were going to have.  I barely made it to my walking road before old Sol slunk down behind a corn field. Feeling a sadness on my walk, I tried to focus on the beautiful countryside around me, all aglow in the evening's soft hues.  Sometimes this works for me, and sometimes it doesn't.  Following my walk, I headed off to a place I can see from my walking road.  It's to the northwest, a couple of miles, where a tall communication tower sits atop a hill, sending out its flashing light beacon 24 hours a day.  White by day and red by night.  It's the Eastlink Communication tower on Tower Line Road, and it's a place I sometimes go to take photos of the rising Moon, or just sit looking at the stars.  Wednesday night, I drove there and parked at the head of the Eastlink driveway facing south.  I can always see a few lights in Clinton to the east, about 4 miles away.  I sat there for a long time with my windows down listening to not only my beautiful soft ambient music, but to all the Crickets around me in the night air.  Many thoughts, many memories, and I felt like I just wanted to stay there all night.  It was so peaceful and calm with a host of stars and constellations overhead.  I always think of them as old friends.  But alas, it was time to go, and I ambled slowly homeward, 6 miles away to the southwest. Oh, how I am going to miss these wonderful summer nights when winter once again descends across the land in another 3 or 4 months.  Home again, I was thankful for a cooler night, so I left doors and windows open to let in the fresh night air.  The subtle mid-August shift from summer into autumn is finally beginning to stir.

OLD SOL TOUCHED DOWN IN A CORNFIELD LAST NIGHT

 I THINK HE SET THE CORNFIELD ABLAZE

My day again started much the same as many others, so under cool, sunny skies I headed out to my walking road and away I went.  And there were the butterflies again this morning.  Dozens and dozens of them, and the most butterflies I have ever seen all at the same time.  Walking north up the road,I soon noticed something about the butterflies.  They would gather in groups alongside the road on my left, right beside the grassy ditch.  As I approached them, they would all swirl up into the air and flutter around me, only to fly further along up the road, land, and then well up again as I approached.  Oh, how I revelled in the sight of all those tiny yellow Butterflies flying around me.  And here is where I noticed something unusual.  I periodically look behind me, up or down the road to see if a vehicle might be approaching, but there hardly ever is.  Glancing behind me, I noticed that there were no butterflies to be seen.  The Butterflies were all ahead of me.  Reaching my turnaround point, I started walking south back towards the car about a quarter of a mile away.  There were Butterflies again, but not in the swirling clusters of moments before.  I always talk to the butterflies, so maybe that is why they were all there to greet me this morning.  Not feeling like a country drive today, I soon headed home.  There were some things I wanted to do outside, but I had to work on myself to drum up some energy and enthusiasm. 

ON WEDNESDAY NIGHT'S WALK, I CAME ACROSS THIS LITTLE BUTTERFLY LYING DEAD ON THE ROAD, SO I GENTLY PICKED IT UP, STEPPED OVER TO THE DITCH, AND TENDERLY PLACED IT ON THIS QUEEN ANNE'S LACE FLOWER...THE EVENING'S LIGHT BREEZE FLUFFED ITS WINGS, AND I FELT VERY SAD

It took a while, but finally, I was outside again working away on my grass seed planting project.  But it didn't last long.  The heat and humidity turned me into a sticky ball of paste again, and I had to retreat inside for a shower.  Spent the rest of the day reading, relaxing, and staying cool.  I think I have slipped into my often 6-week slump again.  Long-time readers will know of my slumps.

 I'VE LAID OUT SOME TOPSOIL HERE TO DRY A BIT BEFORE I GETLY RAKE IN THE GRASS SEED

Al's Music Box:)) A Whiter Shade Of Pale by Procol Harum.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( On the first day, God created the cow. God said, "You must go to the field with the farmer all day long and suffer under the sun, have calves, and give milk to support the farmer. I will give you a life span of sixty years." The cow said, "That's a kind of a tough life you want me to live for sixty years. Let me have twenty years and I'll give back the other forty." And God agreed. On the second day, God created the dog. God said, "Sit all day by the door of your house and bark at anyone who comes in or walks past. I will give you a life span of twenty years." The dog said, "That's too long to be barking. Give me ten years and I'll give back the other ten." So God agreed. On the third day God created the monkey. God said, "Entertain people, do monkey tricks, make them laugh. I'll give you a twenty year life span." Monkey said, "How boring, monkey tricks for twenty years? I don't think so. Dog gave you back ten, so that's what I'll do too, okay?" And God agreed again. On the fourth day God created man. God said, "Eat, sleep, play, and, enjoy. Do nothing, just enjoy, enjoy. I'll give you twenty years." Man said, "What? Only twenty years? No way, man. Tell you what, I'll take my twenty, and the forty years cow gave back, and the ten dog gave back, and the ten monkey gave back. That makes eighty, okay?" "Okay," said God. "You've got a deal." So, that is why for the first twenty years we eat, sleep, play, enjoy, and do nothing. For the next forty years we slave in the sun to support our family. For the next ten years we do monkey tricks to entertain our grandchildren, and for the last ten years we sit in front of the house and bark at everybody.

-------------------------------------

- Patient: It must be tough spending all day with your hands inside someone's mouth?
Dentist: I prefer to think of it as having my hands inside their wallet.

- Golf balls are like eggs...They are both white, sold by the dozen, and a week later you have to go out and buy more.

- Susie: My husband is a great handyman. He can repair almost anything.
Jane: My mother always taught me to beware of the man who can fix everything. You'll never get anything new.

--------------------------------------------

Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kelly & Pheeb's Corner

Al's Art Gallery

WHEN PHEEBS AND I WERE DOING OUR MORNING WALKS HERE

Tuesday evening was still feeling muggy to me as I drove out to my walking spot.  Due to the heavy cloud cover, I knew there wouldn't be a sunset, but I needed a walk.  The sky was very dark to the west, and while walking, I heard the first low rumble of distant thunder.  I finished my walk under the ominous cloud cover and decided to head for home and close the shed doors, and put my gardening tools away.  It wasn't long before the first patters of rain belched out of the sky with the stern backing of thunder and lightning.  It was a good rain that continued into the night, and I knew that area farmers would be pleased to see their crops being watered after a long dry spell.  Back out to my walking road again this morning, the day's heat and humidity were already ramping up, but I was not deterred, and completed my walk under mainly cloudy skies with a few traveling sun splashes making their way across the green summer landscape.  A year ago at this time, when Pheebs and I were doing our morning walks here, we were accompanied each morning by scores of yellow Sulphur Butterflies.  And, so it is this year as well.  How nice it is walking along the road with butterflies swirling all about.  I wish Pheebs were here to see them again.

AN iPHONE PHOTO

 THESE TWO WERE FLITTERING AND TWIRLING ABOUT....THE YELLOW FELLOW IS A SULPHUR BUTTERFLY BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT THE WHITE ONE WAS

 DITCH FLOWERS ALONG MY WALKING ROAD

 CHICORY FLOWERS ALONG THE EDGE OF A BEANFIELD

 HAD THIS GRASSHOPPER NOT LANDED ON THE ROAD IN FRONT OF ME I WOULD NEVER HAVE SEEN IT

 LOOKING SOUTH ALONG MY WALKING ROAD WITH ROLLS OF BALED STRAW ON MY LEFT AND SUBIE DOWN THE ROAD

 LOOKING NORTH ALONG MY WALKING ROAD

 MOODY CLOUDS THIS MORNING

Home again, and despite the humidity, I hooked up my utility trailer and hauled a load of yard waste down to the Park's recycling area.  

AN iPHONE PHOTO

There are bare spots in my grass project near the carport, so this afternoon, under hot sunny skies, using peat moss and topsoil, I re-seeded all of those spots and watered everything again.  It would have been much simpler to have simply re-sodded this area.  Oh well.  After that, I was done for the day and had to head inside and toss myself into the shower to wash all the sweaty, sticky stuff off me.  What an awful thing it is to feel sweaty and sticky, but what a wondrous feeling to be all squeaky clean again. 

 FROM THIS PERSPECTIVE IT LOOKS LIKE MY GRASS IS THICK AND GREEN

 BUT FROM THIS OVERHEAD VIEW THAT IS NOT THE CASE

 HERE IS MY TOP SOIL AND PEAT MOSS, RE-SEEDING EFFORT

 I PLAN TO PLANT GRASS SEED HERE AS WELL

Al's Music Box:))  Annie's Song by John Denver.

GROANER'S CORNER:(( A little boy walked up to home plate in an empty baseball field, with his bat and ball in hand. As he threw the ball up in the air, he proclaimed, "I am the greatest ball player ever!" He swung with all his might, but missed. He did the same thing and missed again. He picked up the ball, tossed it up one more time, said "I am the greatest ball player in the world!" Then he swung and missed again. "Wow!" he said. "What a great pitcher!"

-------------------------------------------

Man says to God: "God, why did you make woman so beautiful?" God says: "So you would love her." "But God," the man says, "why did you make her so dumb?" God says: "So she would love you."

---------------------------------------------

Whenever you feel sad, just remember that somewhere in this world, there's an idiot pulling a door that says “push”

--------------------------------------------

Harry and Esther are out shopping one morning when Esther says, "Darling, it's my mother's birthday tomorrow. What shall we buy for her? She said she would like something electric."
Harry replies, "How about a chair?"

------------------------------------------------

Al's Doggy World

Meanings::

Kelly & Pheeb's Corner

Al's Art Gallery