Maroon Smoke Tree

We have a smoke tree. This is not it. Ours is not a maroon one, but is sort of a greeny-gray. These trees make good ornamentals in dry infertile soil. Yup. Also, the rabbits like the bark in winter. Ours is back to being a shrub after several cycles of being a stub, and now having a 4-foot rabbit fence around it. I'm not sure why I keep trying to save it, except that it does add interest when it's looking good.

Anyway, I like the maroon ones best, although none of them will make my list of favorites. However, driving home yesterday morning, this tree displayed one of those life lessons... from one angle it is dark although interesting, but look what happens when the morning light shines through- it becomes spectacular!



Hot and humid today... hopefully a little cooler tomorrow.

See One Last Blaze for Fall for another smoke tree, also not ours

Agricultural Report

Happy 4th of July to all my friends in the USA- We do like to celebrate our independence! Instead of red, white, and blue, I'm going to bring you green.

It's a traditional saying that for the harvest to be good the corn should be "knee high by the 4th of July." With the wet, cold spring we had here there was a great deal of despair that the crops would really suffer. Farmers could not get their seed in until quite late. So, I thought I'd check it out.



Here's a good-looking field, but how tall is it?



Of course, I am short, but this corn would be better than knee high on any normal human! Is this a typical field, or just the product of one lucky farmer?



I did find a few fields like this one which aren't in such good shape. Driving home from the paper route (yes, Om is home, and I am gladly turning it over to him!) I took roads that led me through many farms, and I'm happy to report that there are more fields like the first one than the second.

I think the ag reports are fun. Hope you do too!

See Asparagus Capital of the World See Where the North Begins and the Fine Fruit Grows

Morning Walk and a Good Day

Thanks, everyone for your well-wishes. The headache is just part of the difficulty I have adjusting to the schedule to do the paper route. One more day and I can go back to being a night owl.

Much to my surprise, when I finished today, for the first day all week, I did not have a headache and I felt GOOD. Wow! So I started by taking a walk on the south breakwall of the Pentwater channel. It was a lovely calm morning, with the last traces of a fog making everything look soft.



A young couple was "spooning" on the opposite side in the shadow of the lighthouse, but they cut it out and just sat still for a few minutes, so I snapped their silhouette with "The Three Sisters" dunes in the background. That's their name... it's collective. As far as I know, they aren't individuals like Edith or Iona or Charlotte.



Walking back to my car, I just liked the way these sailboats at anchor looked in Pentwater Lake.



I continued to feel good all day. I did some gardening, and some maintenance things, and treated myself to a burger cooked over a fire. I only ate one! The rest will still have the great open fire flavor all week, even when warmed in the microwave.



I think I may be able to fall asleep fairly early again, so I'm off to bed soon. Definitely a quality day, just one more morning of paper route!

See Fire Grilled Burgers

The Evening and the Morning...

... were the sixth day. And on the seventh day, God rested. But not me.



ok, so these pictures were taken 24 hours ago, but this idea is too good to not use. Thursday night we had a thunderstorm and one little ray of sun was lighting up this cloud



The next morning, we were having thunderstorms. Is there a message here?

Anyway, I've finished six days of the paper route, but the Detroit papers don't think it's pertinent to their schedule that God rested. Thus, neither do the lowly carriers.

Today was not one of the better days. I never did feel very good, until about 6 pm. Then about a half hour ago, the headache came back with a vengeance. I think I'm just going to go to bed.

Oklahoma!

Yup, I went to a local production of Oklahoma! tonight. Actually, Ellen and I went together. They did a really good job, with a live orchestra. And, they allowed photos as long as they weren't flash, so... I can share with you.

First is Laurie and Curly in the reprise of "People Will Say We're in Love."



Will and Ado Annie discuss their unique plans for life together with "All Er Nuthin'."



Aunt Eller trying to convince her neighbors that "Territory Folks Should Stick Together."



Finally, the entire cast joins to sing the famous title song, "Oklahoma!"



I think this was very well done for local theater, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Having enough money to go to an occasional play is a real perk of having a job, for which I'm grateful.

Now I have to try to calm down enough to go to sleep. Three more days of papers.