Quick Post Before the Storm

 The next 5 days are not going to be pretty---especially if we get more freezing rain than sleet. The snow, if any, would be icing on the cake, pardon the pun. 

Got groceries in today, then went out and  got nearly 60 shots besides the one on the post before the storm.  With every thing so uncertain with the weather, uncertain because the storm stretches from west Texas to Maine, that's two thousand miles, folks. 

If you don't have to get out. Don't! I heard one reporter say today that there are no good drivers that can drive highway speed on ice. Who does that anyway? Good ice drivers drive at a crawl, keeping distance between you and other cars and you don't jam on your breaks. Gees. I can't believe the guy said that about driving highway speed on ice. 

North Texas Gas Prices as of today.

The station across the street was 3.15 and 3.45. 

 

 

From White Rock Trail looking toward downtown.

Moisture is streaming northward to fuel the storm.

The High Meadows Are in Full Bloom After Early May Rains.

One of the last trips to the high meadows of North Texas saw the cutting of  last seasons stubs from a very pretty season. Ironically, one of the first trips there this spring after my hospital stay during the month of May was somewhat of a shocker to see the blooms and colors going across the meadows like a paint brush of color on a fresh canvas.


Suffice it to say, the meadows are off to a spectacular start this season. The only thing left now is to cross the fingers and toes that the fall season will be far better to view and enjoy than the Spring of 2020.

Thistle Blooms

Major color display over several high meadows have got a good start.

There is a Tree in the Parking Lot of the Big Thicket Cottage.

Had a bit of dental surgery yesterday. Couldn't get the bleeding stopped until late in the evening. By this morning, some degree of normalcy was on the horizon. I was slow getting out of the house on purpose. The coffee pot was holding me in the house. No coffee yesterday. Coffee is my thing. Plus, I didn't know how the surgery was going to react, although the dentist said that I could have coffee this morning. But, I did drink it much slower than normal and I haven't pushed it beyond that today. Tomorrow should be a back to normal type day.

The dentist did call me about 11 am this morning. She wanted to see how I was doing as she had never seen a situation that was presented her yesterday.Even the X-rays didn't tell the full picture until she go in there. The good news no pain during the procedure and no pain after words after the numbing began to retreat and my face returned to its normal shape.

Meanwhile, I didn't venture far from home. But was still able to find some interesting things to shoot. Ironically, after my cover image of the hawk and the snake , one of the local stations  ran an almost identical image of a snake and hawk that some though was dead, but the snake was larger and the hawk was being squeezed by the snake in a death grip. The good news is---they both were alive and went their separate ways after words. I did see a big snake on a log on Sunday sunning with a hand full of turtles as log mates. So, the snakes are once again crawling in North Texas for another season. Watch the grasses and please don't wear flip flops in the grass, even if it looks like it is just a little long ruff. Snake bites are upon us again. Be Aware.

Mockingbird with nest material in mouth. He would enter the nest and leave the nest  in a protective mode. From here, he would drop down onto a branch then dart into the vine covered underbrush at the base of the tree. On leaving, he could come out  even lower and fly under the wharf. He had the caution routine down pretty well.

The plaque on the tree was the eye catcher today. From time to time I check out the items on the tree that people have left. The plaque was pretty neat.

The tree with the plaque is to the right in about the middle of the roadway. Here, the cottage at the Big Thicket is surrounded with red bud trees and they are all in bloom. Quite a site.

Nature's Flying Stain Glass

Well, every year about this time, give or take a window's week, the Monarch butterfly reaches North Texas from its days of milkweed leaf chomping, it's lush silk-spun chrysalis they encased themselves into in Canada and the Great Lakes before they take flight to winter in Mexico.

I found one spot where there were as many as 7 Monarchs on one plant. The most that I have seen in one place outside of  hundreds in the air overhead.

Plant milkweed in your garden and start watching around Columbus Day for the arrival. First you will see one or two, then a dozen. Look up and you might catch a brief view of one of the waves.
These are the great-great grand children of last years arrivals.

North Texas Begins To See Fall Colors-- Only On A Faster Track Now.

Fall colors have started to appear in North Texas as they usually do around the first of November. It seems that this year,  however, they are on a fast track to change rather than the slow change usually seen.

A Contrast Between Earth and Sky

Yesterday was  the most perfect day to be outdoors. It was 63 F, the sky was deep blue and the humidity was almost now existent. I drove to the lake, parked, got my backpack on and I went for a long and slow walk, stopping to look at wildlife,birds, trees loaded with fruit and  a lake that could have been a mirror. It's about 8 miles from the lake to downtown and the reflection of the high rises made a perfect copy on the water.

The fall prairie grass on a rolling hill

The return of hundreds of pelicans on their annual migration

The interesting part of this post for me is that standing in one spot, I see a field of wild prairie grass  on a rolling hillside and looking from that spot directly overhead is a sky of migrating pelicans with eyes set on the lake. Earlier in the month there was a post that announced that the pelicans were back. Well, the mass directly overhead will swell the population by a several time factors. It was without doubt a contrast between earth and sky in North Texas.