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| My companion Bess at the north field |
This morning over breakfast, we read an article that outlined where regional wildfires are burning. Suffice it to say that there are many and resources are already strained. In some places, residents are forced to evacuate. The smoke will be ongoing for some time. It hides our land features and obscures the sun. The world looks surreal.
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| Smoke obscures the canyon |
One fire burns in the vicinity of our “town house.” An article in the local paper on Friday (July 9) seemed to say that our neighborhood was at evacuation Level 2 (pack your bag and get ready to leave). Concerned, I called a friend who lives a couple of blocks from us, and she assured me that it wasn’t as bad for our neighborhood as the paper made it sound. She suggested we not return to town due to the smoke. And then she said she would call me if there was a change for the worse.
Reassured that our house was reasonably safe, we postponed our trip to town, opting instead to ask son Clint to check on it, which he did.
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| From Plank's Pitch toward Central Ridge |
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| Looking across June's field to the farmhouse |
Mike rode his bike to Nezperce and beyond Saturday morning, and I took Bess for her walk. She found a small bone on the road which she proudly carried the rest of the way. She marched right along, leaving me behind. When I was at the bottom of the lane, she was already rounding the corner at the top, and as I entered the yard, she was coming out of the grove where I’m sure she buried her treasure.
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| Winter Wheat quickly ripens in heat |
Our fields are in winter wheat (planted in the fall) this year, and the regional agriculture report said that the quality and yield will be down. Spring wheat might be a loss owing to heat and drought. Haying and harvest ae in progress here and there.
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| American Coots on Pete's Pond |
I fill the hummingbird feeders as soon as I get up, again at noon, and again at 5:00 p.m. I make a quart of nectar every day. This morning I watched while a doe made her way through the field west of the pond. Every now and then, a little head would bob up from behind her. Bess and I saw two bunnies in the lane who quickly ran under the black hawthorn tree. And last week we saw a baby coyote trying to hide in a culvert on the road. A family of American Coots is living on Pete’s Pond. And a flicker nibbles on the house at daybreak.
Oh! And I almost forgot about the rattlesnake that Bess and Mike saw at the top of the lane the other day. That's #2 for this season. It wasn't large, and there is no photo. KW
Your days are much like our days. Lots of smoke and a surreal look to things outside. I don't know where the fires are located, but they seem to be all around. We don't see much wildlife, just some birds. I am on the downhill slide. My throat is getting more raw, and my weight is dropping off. Don't know what they will do about that, unless they put in a feeding tube. I'm not looking forward to that, but something has to keep me alive. Keep the messages coming. They make my days brighter.
ReplyDeleteSorry to hear you’re not feeling well, Uncle Chuck. Keep heart!
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