Morning stroll

I had an early dental appointment to get the crown put on my tooth. That went well and painlessly, and when I got home I took a walk while it was sunny, cool and quiet. It turned out to be a bit like being in a Disney flick.

Across from us by Jerry's bean field, a groundhog was standing at attention near the side of the road. It stood unblinking as I walked by and I turned around and went for a closer look. I  called to it and got no reaction, and for a split second I thought it might be a child's stuffed animal. Then something clicked in its head, it looked at me and shot off -- well, insofar as one can say a groundhog shoots off -- into the tall grass and disappeared among the beans.

As I walked past the Dorn place, I noticed lots of bluebirds flying in and out of the trees ahead. We see lots of bluebirds, but this was the most I have ever seen at one time. They flew from tree to tree, staying ahead of me, like they were leading the way. At one point an oriole joined the flight.

There is a house for sale on the road, and sitting in the driveway, as calm and unconcerned as the groundhog had been, was a rabbit. I expected it to run away when I walked by, but it stayed in place. Unlike the groundhog, it appeared to notice me but saw no reason to hop away.

Jerry's beans seem to be doing well, as does the corn in the field beyond his house. His cows ignored me, but the calves were interested for a moment before going back to their milk.

 Lots of wildflowers to notice today,  too. The wild lavender bee balm is still flourishing, and there were little purple blooms and tufty grasses that I did not recall from years past. I am sure they were there, but I had not noticed them. Wild asters,  prairie spiderwort, black-eyed Susans.

 
Along the sidewalk, the purple cone flowers and gayfeathers are now blooming. The Asian lilies, both versions, are still bright and colorful, but they are starting to show some wear and tear. The day lilies continue apace, as does the red bee balm, looking for all the world like Dr. Seuss designed it. The roadside black-eyed Susans have been covering the slopes along Highway 12 for a couple of weeks, and our domestic versions are starting to bloom now. 

And now to work.