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Sunrise on SA courtesy Kari
September 9 Several years ago, a big leaf milkweed (Asclepius latifolia) sprouted in the pasture near the playground equipment. I marked it with a piece of PVC pipe held upright by a steel rod driven into the ground to avoid having it mowed down. At times I have even given it a little water when there had been little rain. It has gotten bigger each year and this for the first time it bloomed in the spring. From the blossoms it formed two seed pods, one of which burst open this week. I collected the seeds, most of which were lying in the grass nearby. My intent is to scatter the seeds on the caliche mounds where the plants can grow without impeding mowing. That will be a small gesture toward helping monarch butterflies survive since that is one of the plants they lay their eggs in.
September 11 On our way to the Upper Valley, as it is called, for Abigail’s fly fishing course, we saw a large raptor by the side of the road which or guide Jeff said was a golden eagle. It was little more than a glimpse and I wish I had gotten a better look. Never seen a golden eagle before. Toward the end of Abigail’s morning session with Jeff we got to see a weasel doing its weasel thing.
It was a beautiful sunny morning, just right for a little fly fishing instruction. Years ago, Joyce and I hired a guide to teach us fly fishing. Abigail’s guide went much deeper into the subject than our guide. He took us to a private pond he leases to begin with and worked on the rudiments of handling a fly rod with Abigail. Then he took us to a private stretch of the Red River to instruct Abigail in stream fishing. She caught several fish which they released back into the stream.
Abigail enjoyed the morning and now has more knowledge and experience fly fishing than I do.
September 22 Glory be! It rained yesterday, a lovely inch and a quarter. Just Saturday a week ago, I finally got around to putting up the rain gauge the neighbors gave me for Christmas. You see, the one I had been using for the last decade, though still serviceable, had become opaque due to the sun and I was beginning to get complaints from people about not being able to see how much rain was in it.
The new one is similar to the old one but has some improvements. Birds liked to perch on top of the old one and leave deposits. The new one has thin wire spikes around the top to deter birds from perching there. The instructions suggested mounting the gauge on the north side of a post to slow sun damage. The old gauge was mounted on the south side of the post I installed in the corner of my yard to mount the gauge on, so I mounted the new one on the opposite side. It was wonderful to get the new gauge christened so quickly.