Unfinished Projects

The fall sun angles dramatically on the southern horizon.  Shadows stretch across short cropped green alfalfa fields, the golden light oozes over the landscape.  Today's walk is cold with a southern breeze, going back will be chilly.  

This is the time of the year to finish unfinished projects.  Dig up the gladiolas and daliahs.  Mike bangs the hardiboard lap-siding onto the north side of the greenhouse.  Think about cleaning the leftovers of moving, now over a year and a half past.  These long walks afford pause to ponder the Unfinished Projects.  Of course, walking does not accomplish any of this work!! 

Rooster smells the air for grouse but finds chipmunks and mice.  He seems equally overjoyed and frolics through the frost-dried grasses.  Hound's tounge weeds stand patiently awaiting the fur of an animal and I spend ten minutes pulling the tick-sized, velcro-covered weeds out of his wirey coat.  I leave the invasive weed seeds on the other side of the highway in the gravel road.  

Elk graze in the afternoon sun.  This morning we watched a herd of 150 elk cross the road just to the west of our place and settle on the hillside above the summer homes.  The calves mewing for their mothers, a bull bugling a half-hearted end of season call.  

Writing a blog piece is always unfinished business!  Now done, I need to go off and make some dinner!  Enjoy these last fall days; clocks get changed soon!