Bedraggled Birds

A million dollar rain fell on the Thumb area of Michigan today. It was a rain that settles the clouds of dust that have flying behind the planters and cultivators as farmers work at getting the last of the crops planted and tilled. The birds were a bit bedraggled as they came to the feeder to find a tasty morsel, in spite of the rain. This female cardinal, a frequent visitor, hunkered down for a blast of rain, yet wanted some seed.

And this mourning dove looked downright wet as she pecked her way across the garden beds and looked for some of the seeds that drop from the feeder.

The rows of corn are easy to see against the wet ground as the plants begin their upward journey toward the sun and maturity.

Autumn Rain

Rains have hit the Thumb quite hard this last week. The leaves on this ash tree (left photo) were brilliant last Wednesday. The same tree, photographed six days later, has been stripped of its leaves as has the woods behind it.

I emptied 1.75 inches out of the rain gauge at the lake. Ed reports almost five inches at the farm where the drive back to the barn is muddy and the garden is soggy.

The autumn rain is quite a contrast to the drought that gripped this area in mid-summer.

Copyright 2012
Wanda Hayes Eichler