Saturday, September 15

The goldfinches, the last of the songbirds to nest, are bringing their little ones to the thistle feeder

My hummers have been in a feeding frenzy lately, must be storing up body fat for their long migration across the Gulf of Mexico

 This female kingfisher has been cruising up and down the creek

I never tire of this view out my front door

Happy birthday to my son in law, Matt.  I hope you had the best birthday ever because you certainly deserve it!  Sara and Matt have their airline tickets for their return to Cincinnati and are pretty excited about coming home.  I pray everything goes smoothly as they go about all of the preparation for packing and paper work that needs to be done.  Even Shorty and Savannah will be returning on the same flight with them.  Shorty is going to love Molly but I'm not so sure Molly will love Savannah.  I hope Sara and Matt can find a place quickly although, Savannah is pretty good at finding hiding places.  The change in weather was a pleasant surprise.  I was afraid that after spending 3 weeks in Hawaii that I would dread the coming of fall, but I think I will be ok after all.  After the Buckeye game today I tried to get Molly to walk through the woods with me but that just wasn't going to happen.  She came down as far as the pump house and then took off for the house.  I continued into the woods and just enjoyed the warmth of the sunshine coming through the trees and the sounds of the kingfisher as she winged her way above the creek.  The gentle winds were playing with the cottonwood leaves high above the woods and I just stood and marveled as I watched the trees sway back and forth above me without feeling the wind where I was standing.  The late summer flowers have almost all lost their blooms with the exception of several cardinal flowers.  The squirrels were scampering about tossing nuts to the ground and biting off small branches to make their winter leaf homes.  We have several little red squirrels that have just started coming out of their nest.  They are so much fun to watch as they chase each other up one side of the tree and down the other.  Yes, I love fall and I must admit that I enjoy it a lot more now that I am retired than I ever did while I was teaching.  I hope you will get out on these warm autumn days and take advantage of the sights and smells that come with the changing of seasons and give thanks for the beauty that surrounds us.