Signs of Fall

Yep, it's hard to believe, but summer is fast coming to an end. I'm seeing so many signs of that around me. The rabbitbrush is blooming, putting out its beautiful yellow flowers. The are so pretty, but I find that I'm slightly allergic to them, so they stay outside. They're a happy looking flower, though, brightening the landscape when so many other flowers have lost their inflorescences and turned brown.

The rose hips on the rose bushes are bright and red. Supposedly you can make a tea from them, but I haven't tried that so far. I used to like roses until I came out here and had to bash my way through them to get to the creeks. They grow so thick that it's an adventure in getting scratched. I suppose that they beat poison ivy.

I'm hearing more and more geese as they stop by for some food and a rest as they travel south. They nearly always travel in flocks and their loud cries make me smile. The sandhill cranes seem to be flying around more now too, and my husband has called them pterodactyls so many times that now I seem to have adopted that name for them. Yikes. Many of the other birds have quieted down because they aren't looking for mates, so hearing these squawkers is refreshing. Little Desert Boy has developed an eye for spotting birds.

The yellow school bus is out and about early every morning and in the mid-afternoon, picking up and delivering the school kids. They are so excited to be back in school so they can see their friends, many of whom live far away. Aunt Tana drives one of the two buses for the community, spending several hours each day on the road to  get to the faraway ranches and three schools.

Here's one of the not-so-pleasant reminders of the end of summer: ragweed. It makes me sneeze like crazy. It's taken over the perimeter of my garden and the edges of the fields, so both my husband and I are in it daily and want to scratch our eyes out.

One of the best things about the end of summer is the cooler temperatures, especially at night, making it the perfect time to go camping. I'm still trying to convince my husband to go on a camping trip this fall. When we go camping, the most important thing is the food. We never skimp on the food. We eat more around a campfire in a day than we do in several days at home. Then we're so full we can't go hiking and just have to lay around and do nothing. That's my husband's ideal trip--eat and do nothing. He needs the rest after his busy schedule.

I'm noticing other signs of fall too, like the calves being weaned and brought into the feedyard, the brown tinge to the landscape, and a little frost on plants at higher elevations early in the morning. Fall is such a beautiful season in the desert and I'm really looking forward to it.