In Central Illinois fall colors are often a bit diffuse: the early trees turning brown and losing their leaves while the later trees are still green, with only a few trees showing their full autumn colors.
This year is something of an exception.
At 10:00 AM on the first Tuesday of the month, the county tests its emergency sirens. #dogsofmastodon
The very first month we had Ashley, we happened to be walking right under one of the sirens at the moment it started up. Ashley started howling along with it, which made me laugh. And Ashley looked a little embarrassed, thinking she’d done something wrong. I didn’t want that, so I started howling as well.
Since then, Ashley and I (and Jackie when she’s with us) have howled along with the emergency sirens every month.
Our neighbors have not complained, although I suppose they think we’re rather weird.
There’s a small creek that runs behind Winfield Village. It feeds the ponds in the Lake Park subdivision, and then the water flows on to the Embarras River.
It usually has only three or four inches of water in it, but after heavy rain it swells quite a bit.
Wow! Today’s #lilycount is 63! I think that’s the highest lilycount we’ve ever reached. Bonus: You can see Spleenwort, our front-step gargoyle, way over on the left. #bloomscrolling
Today’s lilicount 17.
I didn’t get my lilicount photo posted yesterday, but since there’s just one lily today, I’ll go ahead and post yesterday’s lilicount 10 photo a day late.
First of our lilies. lilycount 2
Not too long after we moved here, I saw an enormous snapping turtle, the size of a dinner plate. This is probably that same turtle, now the size of a serving platter.
Not a great picture, because Ashley was Very Interested in the turtle, and letting them play would have ended badly.
The first periodic cicada of the year. Or, you know, the decade-plus.
I dragged Jackie out to see it. Because—you know—who knows how long it might be before she has another chance to see one?
(Yes, that’s a joke.)
I didn’t get a view of the aurora, because I didn’t stay out long enough for the sky to get fully dark. (I’m an early-to-bed kinda guy.) I did, however, get a rather lovely post-sunset dusk sky picture while I was waiting for full dark.
