Fall Cometh . . . .

I'm wondering if flattened snakes on a dirt road signal a seasonal change.  

That curiosity has been aroused thanks to several mornings of walking the roads around the Lovestead, dodging dead snakes. 

I headed north this morning and saw two fairly fresh kills.

It's been pretty dry lately, and it could be that those snakes are headed to the other side of the road in search of water.

Sadly, unlike the fabled chicken, many fail to reach their destination.

Anyway, for now, I'll add snake road kill to the sights, sounds and smells that tell us summer is ending.

Unlike the serpent speculation, I have no problem mentioning another sure sign that autumn is approaching.

College football began last night, and for a couple of our regional teams, their attempts to get to the other end of the football teams fell short, just like the snakes on the road.

Neither WSU nor the University of Idaho managed a touchdown in their season openers last night.  

And, it looks to me that spending millions on an coach who would surely bring an exciting offensive arsenal to the WSU Cougars fell short too with a 30-6 (two field goals) score.   

I wonder what Paul Wulff is thinking this morning.  I felt sorry for him when WSU let him go.

Willie reported on last night's Idaho Vandal game for the Idaho Press Tribune and wondered in his piece how their game might have gone had the anticipated quarterback not spent the evening walking the sidelines in street clothes. 

Tonight two more of our teams will be playing big games:  the Sandpoint Bulldogs under a new coach and the Boise State Broncos guided by their veteran coach Chris Peterson.

The Broncos' phenomenal quarterback Kellen Moore graduated, so it will be interesting to see if Peterson works his magic with a new quarterback and wins another season opener against Michigan State. 

For the past few mornings I've been watching another sign of fall---herds of turkeys making their way through the fields.  

The numbers vary, so I'm guessing we have two or three groups wandering between the wooded areas and the pastures. 

Last year, throughout the fall months, the turkey herds came closer and closer to the house.

I made the statement that it was okay as long as they didn't leave a mess.

The morning I found turkey dung around the bird feeder signaled time to call on Kea.  

Two or three turkey visits later cut short by a savvy herd dog, the gobblers decided it was futile to visit the Lovestead and moved across the road to Taylors' and Gary Finney's fields.

That was fine with me. 

Yesterday, I loaded up 26 bags of shavings at my neighbor Roxane Conrad's place.  She orders a big load from Canada and supplies some of the horse people around the area.

Those bags are stacked up in the barn, ready for winter, so one of my early fall "to do" projects can be marked off the list.

I added another project yesterday while talking to Roxane.  She'll be putting miles on one of their horses next week, so I'll be saddling up Lefty and joining her on those miles.

My goal this fall is to have him pretty well seasoned with road riding and to work out any youthful glitches he may have. 

And, as an old lady, I like to do this in the company of another rider-----who can be there to pick up the pieces, if necessary.

Yup, Fall has come, and I'm loving it. 

Happy Blue Moon to all.  Go Broncos!  Go Bulldogs!  And, snakes, beware!