After a frosty morning start, the sunshine felt good after a rainy stretch even though it only reached 60 degrees, it was good to wander around outside. And some might have ventured out to see the sights, but it is important to wear a mask, like this old sailor, when social distancing isn’t possible.
Masked Sailor
After a very chilly and wet day, the sun peeked out just as it was setting, which will allow the cold air to settle in over night. The predicted low is 32 with patchy frost but maybe the forecasters will be wrong and I won’t see this white stuff called frost in the morning.
Frosty Leaf
I bet the hummingbird I saw at the feeder this morning was wishing that it had left already instead of huddling on the feeder in the forty degree weather.
Drinking in the Cold
The sun was able to shine on this flower for a time in the morning before the rain moved in. It is a later blooming plant, even into October, so it is more noticeable in the fall as the other flowers tamper off. It is not a native flower and is considered an invasive weed which has several dozen different names for it. The names I am used to is butter-and-eggs, wild snapdragon and yellow toadflax but some other interesting names are calf’s snout, dead men’s bones, bunny haycocks and impudent lawyer.
Butter-and-Eggs Blossom
With the last seventy degree day for a while, I imagine there were people enjoying the beaches while they try to catch the last bit of summer during this holiday weekend.
Sunday Beach Time
The nice sunny day had farmers scrambling to get hay baled before the predicted rain this night. I stopped a John Deere tractor with a large rake in a field and further down the same road, a different type of horse power was pulling a much smaller rake.
Horse Power Raking
This seagull looks a bit grumpy, like maybe it heard about the cold and wet week coming up.
Grumpy Seagull
This section of the barn wouldn’t have provided a lot of protection from today’s strong winds.
Drafty Boards
This year I gave up having potted flowers on my porch or any vegetables because the chipmunks would uproot and dig out my plants. Even without having any potted plants all summer, it didn’t take them long to discover a couple of potted trees that I received recently but haven’t planted yet. The chipmunks have been digging already and burrowed tunnels down around the roots.
Troublesome Chipmunk
I think there are a few young orioles that tried to get a few more fun summer days in and didn’t leave when the rest of the orioles headed south as I had a group of three at the feeder a few days ago and a single oriole this morning. With the cooler temperatures, these youngsters passing through better get headed to their warmer winter home.
Stray Oriole
