Here is a photo I took this morning that shows how the hickory trees are just starting to turn color. I love the way the sunshine comes through the leaves and make them glow like red embers and leaves of gold. But there is still a lot of green on the trees and perhaps next week we will have more color to enjoy.
The trees are just starting to turn color and a few are falling to the ground in lazy swirls. My neighbor actually got out the leaf blower today and cleared her driveway of the golden maple leaves that are scattered about her side of the fence. I have a little pile of red leaves under my dogwood tree, but most of the trees in my yard, like the elm and the hickory will color later.
Although it never got all that hot this summer – no record breaking heat wave lasting for weeks, no record high temperatures in the triple digits – it was a near normal summer and I loved every minute of it. But now I’m ready for autumn and the lovely cooler evenings. In fact, I would love a nice frost so the mosquitoes go away and the pollen dries up for all the poor allergy sufferers.
The dogwood tree in our yard has started puttin out the red berries and the leaves are just starting to show some red. It’s not a brilliant red yet – more like a rust. But with a couple days of rain the brilliance will emerge in a week or so.
Several local shops have a tip jar set out on the counter for employees. I try to drop in my loose change or even a dollar if they are pleasant, efficient, and get the order right. I hope the store managers are good about dividing up the proceeds among all the employees at the end of every shift.
Lately there have been reports of tip jars being pilfered by unsavory types. There was an attempted theft of the tip jat at a local coffe shop drive through window. The alert store clerk prevented the theft and called the police. The suspect was caught within the hour – he was found hiding in the landscape shrubbery of a nearby subdivision.
All this drama over about $3.00 in change. How sad for that man that he is going to jail over $3 that he didn’t even get.
One of the biggest and best rodeos in the world is held in Canada every July. The Calgary Stampede has everything you could wnat for entertainment, from all the traditional rodeo cintests, to carnival rides, concerts, parades and all kinds of competitions and exhibits. We would love to go see the Stampede sometime. I would buy tickets to every possible show and stay for at least 2 weeks to make the most of my Stampede experience.