the second half of What's-Happening-Nows

post #92
      The wind Friday night was fierce and left debris on the ridge, but we kept our electricity and so far I haven't heard of any local horror stories.  I am sorry for the fear this created over a wide section of the country, and the hardship.  Meanwhile in Colorado, my son's in-laws had to be evacuated from the fires near and in Colorado Springs.  I hope they are able to go back home soon.  That too is a story filled with fear and hardship.  I wasn't able to get a photo of the power of the wind in the short time it was happening, since I also had to secure some items outside and deal with shutting down the wi-fi and check windows and doors, etc.  We were on a Red Alert for fire danger at the same time.  Our area is very dry, so much so that Fourth of July fireworks have been canceled.

       The photos for today's post may seem very tame in comparison to all this, but I offer them in hopes of acknowledging the essential variety of the natural world we rely on even if we don't control it.

timothy time -- hay season in the Appalachian hills

 

      These two photos are taken last week from one of my favorite spots for hay photos, every year.  I love the lay of the land here, and the beauty of it.  In the top photo, I was trying to get the shadows to be look right, even though I was photographing more in the middle of the day than I would prefer to do.

 

    Last week I wrote here that there were more fledgling photos to come.  Here are several of the red-bellied woodpeckers, medium sized cousins (?) of the smaller downys from three weeks ago.

Seeing this one on our walnut tree alerted me that another round of fledgling fun was about to begin.

The open mouth says it all!

      Now just two more, of the tufted titmouse duo I showed last week:

patient young'un and speedy parent

Open mouth, and those oversized feet for the chosen twig....

       Later, on Monday: Instead of the health care comment I wrote recently, which I will share soon, I would like to add a link to a recent article by Ron Ellis, about his recent drive through eastern Kentucky.  In earlier posts I have shared some of the photos by his photographer friend, John Flavell.  Thanks, Ron, for writing about your happy time on our curvy roads.