Yearly Archives: 2009
Oak tree at dusk
A few days ago I was out hiking late in the afternoon. Heading back to my car as the sun was going down, I passed this bare oak tree. When I looked up, I was struck by the silhouette of its crooked branches against the darkening sky.
Funny how a casual glance up on the way home, can turn into the best sight of the afternoon.
Last farmers’ market of the season
Yesterday was the last (outdoor) farmers’ market of the season. It was such a nice day, I couldn’t pass up the chance to pick up some good food.
When I saw these jam jars beautifully backlit by the morning sun, I was immediately glad I had my camera with me.
Carpet of leaves
Almost all of the leaves are down from the trees in my yard. That’s always kind of a depressing moment for me. With the leaves down, that means the hours of daylight are getting less and less everyday.
While I do love autumn, and enjoy the experience of the four seasons here in Wisconsin, the ever encroaching “season of darkness” is my least favorite time of the year.
Emmylou Harris and her Red Dirt Boys
I’ve been fond of Emmylou Harris‘s music since the early 1980’s. I started out a casual fan, but the intensity of my fandom grew along with the music she was making. When her 1995 masterpiece Wrecking Ball came out, I was a seriously hooked. Through all that time, I never had the opportunity to hear Emmylou Harris perform live. But that finally changed last night, when I attended her outstanding show at Madison’s Overture Center.
Emmylou Harris’ set began somewhat subdued. Early on she played one of my favorites of the night, the hauntingly beautiful “Red Dirt Girl.” That tone continued with a cover of Lucinda Willams’ “Sweet Old World” and the somber waltz “I Miss the Mississippi and You.”
Prairie grass
Cattail
Milkweed
While hiking at a local park last weekend, I came across all kinds of milkweed plants. Most were spreading their seeds before the winter sets in.
Autumn berries
One of my shrubs (that I didn’t hack way down last week) has a lot of berries on it.
I wonder… what kind of plant is it? Are the berries edible?
On yard work
One of the things I was a little concerned about when I bought my house last March, was the fact that I’d have to do yard work.
Since I moved away from my parent’s house many years ago, I’ve been living in apartments and condominiums where all that was done for me. But the idea of sharing walls with other people (especially bad neighbors) was something I was growing pretty tired of. That was actually one of the major reasons I moved last spring.