A Wednesday Walk

Pretty.

… I want first of all — in fact, as an end to these other desires — to be at peace with myself.  I want a singleness of eye, a purity of intention, a central core to my life that will enable me to carry out these obligations and activities as well as I can.  I want, in fact — to borrow from the language of the saints — to live ‘in grace’ as much of the time as possible.  I am not using this term in a strictly theological sense.  By grace I mean an inner harmony, essentially spiritual, which can be translated into outward harmony…

~ Anne Morrow Lindbergh

Pixie dust. (Or dew, depending on your state of mind.)

I had intended to take a bike ride today, but the Bare Meadow called so I took a walk instead.  The Bare Meadow, as you may recall, is the meadow we had mowed to be in compliance with our conservation agreement (which states we must keep that acreage as meadow or grassland and must mow it every three years).  It is no longer bare, of course, because life has taken over and all manner of things are growing out there now.

One of the paths through the Bare Meadow.

M recently mowed the paths through the meadows so this was a good time to explore and see what changes, if any, mowing wrought.  Removing the trees (mostly loblolly pines and sweet gums) and shrubs (mostly myrtles — wax and sea) gave the flowers room to flourish.  We have large patches of Partridge Peas, a legume that the Bobwhite Quail and White-Tailed Deer like to eat.

A patch of Partridge Peas.

The seed pods have formed, and that may explain why we have quite a few deer in the Bare Meadow early in the morning and again in the evening.

Seed pods (to the left of the middle flower).

Morning Glories of various colors wind their way through the meadow, climbing the grasses and the newly emerging sweet gum trees and myrtles.

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to glow from within the way the Morning Glories do?

Do you remember the tutorial I posted on how I achieve a soft, but sharp, effect in my images?  I mentioned that you can achieve the same effect almost straight out of the camera under the right conditions.  This morning I discovered exactly what those conditions are.  An extremely humid, hot, cloudy morning.  All I had to do was underexpose the shots a little, and voila!  Instant Orton Effect without having to go through a bunch of steps in Photoshop.

Waking up.

There was just enough light coming through the clouds to highlight the dew and give everything a faint shimmer.

I’m pretty sure I take far too many photos of Morning Glories.

The Black-Eyed Susans are still blooming.  A lot have gone to seed, but we’ll continue to see them blooming for at least another month or two.  If I recall correctly, some of the sheltered Black-Eyed Susans were still blooming in late October and early November last year.  Every time I thought they were finished for the season, a few more would pop up and bloom.

Hanging out with the myrtle and partridge peas.

I did find two newbies to the meadow.

Tall Ironweed

We had Tall Ironweed in our meadows at Breezy Acres in Ohio.  This is the first time I’ve seen it here.  It’s a native plant.  It can be tough to get rid of if you don’t want it in your meadows or pastures.  One plant can produce from 6,000 to 19,000 seeds.  I don’t mind it.  In fact, I was happy to see it.

Bull Thistle

The Bull Thistle is new, too.  Or at least new to me.  It’s the first time I’ve seen it in our meadows here at the ranch.  I know the farmers don’t like it, but I think it’s beautiful.  The rabbits and deer eat the leaves and stems.  Hummingbirds and bees like the nectar.  Goldfinches and Juncos like the seeds.  As for me, I like the purple flowers.

This flower has a name, but I don’t know it yet.

Thank you for joining me on another walk.  I’m going to be spending the next few days with friends here at the Wabi-Sabi Ranch.  If I have time for a postcard or two, I’ll post.  If not, I’ll see you again next week.  Have a great weekend!

Grasses and vines.

Be good, be kind, be loving.  Just Be.  🙂

Today’s joys:  A walk through the meadows; the Morning Glories; sparkling morning dew; a nice cool drink when I returned from my walk; a delicious breakfast.