Through the Seasons Part Five

As I'm writing this, at 7am local time on Tuesday morning September 7, it is 36 degrees outside. There were localized frost warnings over the night, but looking outside, I don't think my flowers got damaged.

Sitting here uploading the photos I've taken for this series, it's hard to believe I'm looking back over a summer gone by. It went so fast - all the wonderful times with family and friends, the incredible trip to Idaho for our sons wedding, the many tanking trips down the river, the hours spent on the outdoor patio we built this spring, a few projects accomplished. Now it is definitely time to move into a new season, break out the warmer clothes, turn our thoughts toward laying up enough firewood for the winter and picking out just the right books to enjoy on the long winter evenings curled by the fire.

Well, enough reminiscing. Here is the series as it started on May 5, at 6:10pm. The corn has been planted, and the tiny green leaves on the trees are just beginning to make an appearance. The Sandhills in the background are still wearing their winter brown.
And on June 5, at 8:30am. The trees are now a luxurious green, the corn is well established and the Sandhills are sporting a jaunty green as well.
And on July 5 at 10:00am. The tiny corner of wheat that can be seen on the right just past the tree in the foreground is ripe and ready for picking. The corn is chest high, and thanks to abundant rain, the Sandhills are still green.
August 7, 8:30am. The corn has reached its maximum height, and you can see the subtle difference between this picture and the one above - the complete filling of all the rows. There is only stubble left of the wheat, and miraculously, thanks to this wet summer, the hills are still green. The locusts are so loud that their buzzing fills every corner of your mind.
And the present day, at least September 6, at 7:00pm, so the present yesterday as I write. The corn has fully matured and only needs drying out to be ready to harvest. You can see that the stalks are no longer deep green, but beginning to turn gold. Thankfully, no hint of yellow can be seen in the trees yet, but it isn't far off. The grasses on the Sandhills have now reached their dormant stage, having taken full advantage of the rain and sunshine this summer. There will be lots of winter pasture this year.
There you have it, five months in the Nebraska Outback.
Thanks for stopping by. The coffee is always on.

Comments

Popular Posts