Got Gloom

This young buck and I had a stare down this morning. 

When Bridie noticed him, she simply stood and stared also.  Eventually, he turned around and bounded off into the woods. 

Then, he came back, as I was finishing this post.  He grabbed a couple of plums and headed back to the woods. 

The air quality monitor reads 171 this morning, after a day of soaring to 265. 

Our morning air is filled with smoke and fog.  

In many cases, outdoor activities have been cancelled because of the "very unhealthy" situations. 

On a bright note, a little rain fell overnight, actually enough to wash off the heavy coating of dust on my flowers and trees next to the road.

Bill said he heard the pitter patter when he took the dogs out at 9. 

That cleansing alone helps with the hope that this too shall pass.  The weather forecasters yesterday said that maybe tomorrow the smoke will clear out, and we might even get another bit of rain. 

Yesterday was SO dirty outside, everywhere, and the smoke blocked views of anything more than a few hundred feet away.

Swirling winds blew off and on throughout the day, sending dust from the barnyard every direction. Limbs blew down as did dead leaves. 

The residue on bone dry ground hardly pleased the eyes. 

Still, with pleasantly moderate temperatures, the day offered opportunities to do a lot of "little things," which had been overlooked for some time. 

Cutting and pulling out dead stems and buds and weeds from flower baskets made a dramatic difference in their appearance. 

Chopping the weeds growing in the dust-filled barnyard improved the view inside the fences. 

We also embarked on a seasonal mouse offensive.  Bill set up more traps in the garage, and the timing must have been right because we've both been carrying out collateral damage and throwing it over the fence. 

Seems like there must be a day on the calendar when the mice decide to show up.  At our place, yesterday was the day.  

Shortly after Bill brought the barn mousetraps to the house, I walked into the tack room to feed Sunny, the supposed mouser.

 The place was hopping with mice. Sunny's bowl was licked clean, 'cept for a smattering of mouse turds left behind. 

I've tried to lecture Sunny about what her main purpose is out there in the barn, but she seems oblivious and content to let them take over her living quarters and her food.

Maybe she thinks that if she lets them eat her Meow Mix, they'll fatten up and taste that much better when she decides to go back to work. 

Whatever the case, I'll be purchasing a collection of tack room mousetraps today. 

Anywho, it's September.  The smoke will clear.  The rain will come, and the scene around here may improve a bit.

With September comes the return of NFL football.  I had mixed feelings about last night's Seattle-Denver game.  

It takes time to get over the fact that your favorite quarterback in football left the team where he played so many years. 

Try as I might, I don't hold Russell Wilson in quite the esteem I have for so many years. 

It's not his fault; it's just hard when those you happily rely upon and admire as grounded fixtures abandon their role for greener pastures.

That said, I wished Russell no ill will; instead, I pulled for his replacement and hoped he would have a great night after playing the waiting game so long. 

Geno Smith did not disappoint as he led the Seahawks to an unexpected victory over the Broncos. 

Besides the win, one of the best moments came at the end as Russell made a point to embrace his former coach and several players of his former team. 

That's total class, and from now on, I'll be pulling for both Russell and Geno----cept when Denver plays Seattle again. 

It was a great and exciting game.  

~~~~~ 

Christine Alkire Wilkinson lives down the road from us.  She has been visiting Scotland with her husband and her daughter, the latter of whom will be staying there to earn her Master's Degree. 

Christine was nice enough to share an historical moment she and her family experienced and witnessed on Sunday. 

       

Photos from Scotland, courtesy of  Christine Alkire Wilkinson

From Christine Alkire Wilkinson . . . .

An eventful and historic day we feel blessed to have witnessed.

While at Balmoral attending the Highland Games many years ago, the Royal Family was there and rode past our group in their motorcade. 

I remember seeing Her Majesty the Queen, the Queen Mother, and Princess Diana as they passed by. They were very close to us as we stood by the road they were traveling on. 

Each one, so beautiful.

Today was a similar scene, but very somber one. As we were traveling to Aberdeen, the motorcade transporting Queen Elizabeth II to Edinburgh was in transit on the same motorway. 

We were able to pull off and join many others on a bridge to watch her pass by. Helicopters hovered overhead, but other than that, it was a very quiet moment of great respect as the people of Scotland watched in silence and tears as their beloved Queen passed by. 

It is a moment we will never forget.

The Queen's hearse is the first car. Her flagged draped casket and flowers can be seen through the back window.