Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Checking fences on a Wet Monday

I do this nearly every day. I check the fences and walk back to the creek and make sure all is good. The mules are back in the forest that is above the creek. I kept thinking I should move them back out into the more open pasture with wicked weather on the way again.

The last two days were so muggy and hot. 



I almost wished we'd had that hard rain and a good gully washer to clean the jewel weed out of the creek and make it pretty again. I'm glad though that we didn't. It took our township 5 years to get the funds allocated to fix The JJ Bridge. I guess I'll put up with the jewel weed until we get a washer.

The jewel weed hides ankle twisting mossy boulders and makes creek hiking a bit more complicated.

Charlie was a trooper, he likes to dig when I pause to look at things.


The rains have been good for the forest, but perhaps a bit late. One of my favorite maple trees is starting to change colors on a few branches.

We found these on a log just above the creek bank.
 


The log was full of them in different stages, some totally withered. 

This morning I left Charlie behind. I carried the pocket camera again just because the skies were overcast and threatening rain, though the radar showed the rain was moving east.

I decided to take a short cut through my west neighbor's pasture and follow his cow paths towards a spot that was easy to cross the barbed wire fence.

I saw something brown and assumed it was one of his cattle. But it wasn't.
I stood still for a long time and slowly pulled up the camera. It sucks at long distances, but that is what I had.

I like the silent shutter! She watched me.


And then she started to circle me, I assume to try and get a scent off from me. 

I spent a long time standing still. She spent a long time slowly circling me.

Eventually another deer 'whistled' and she walked away.


The sun has come out and it is drippy muggy out. At least we get to see the sun again before the clouds move in tonight and more storms develop.

Another night with a quacking little black dog? We'll see!




8 comments:

  1. Looks like you are walking in a jungle! So steamy! Humidity is thick here today as well. They mushrooms look like oysters. Edible and yummy! I would highly suggest picking young ones, though. the older, wilty-looking ones are pretty tough and lack the flavor. ( and are kind of gross and filled with bugs!) Cheryl doesn't like the stems, even on young ones. Golden, white, blue and pink, they come in a number of colors, but mostly we have white and golden ones here in Iowa.

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    1. Thanks! I passed them by but didn't pick any. Too long of a hike back to home with nothing to carry them in except a baseball cap.

      The past two days have felt very jungle like. I dripped solid with sweat just walking slowly.

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  2. Close encounter, of the deer kind. The creek looks pretty to me. Too bad critters don't munch on the jewel weed. Your eye must be doing better if you are ducking between fencing. Is it?

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    1. I haven't gotten an okay yet, still under restrictions of behaving myself. I think I was behaving. I didn't do any heavy strenuous lifting!
      ")

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    2. Ha! No doubt you were a-okay!!

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  3. Fun to see deer and Charlie looks soggy! That Jewel Weed...inside the stem is some great juice that is good for lots of stuff especially poison ivy.

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    1. Yep, my old neighbor made me soap with Jewel Weed in it for that very reason. I had to use it on those who can't see the poison ivy. We have very little in our area, but I can spot it!

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