Turning It Up! (Look for some shade in the meantime)

"Canada Milk Vetch (Astragalus canadensis)" - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison

This heat is really pushing things along...hate seeing stuff mature and finish up so quickly. I've actually missed the peak on a few things here like the Lead Plants, Compass Plants, Showy Tick Trefoil...too preoccupied with other stuff.

I did have a nice patch of Canada Milk Vetch just peaking in the south pasture a couple days back. Its near the bottom where the new late 2025 planting was done. This can't be a new plant though - too big! It must have gotten a head start the year before and just missed seeing it.

 

Although not a colorful plant, the Canada Milk Vetch (Astragalus canadensis) can make up for that in its structure, form, and pollinator value. We see plenty of hummingbirds, and butterflies on this plant, and this species is also one of the host plants for the Clouded Sulphur butterfly. 

 

We find it quite happy on our gravel slopes and in the wetter bottom mesic areas. This is a Legume and most legume species contribute beneficial bacteria called rhizobia on their roots. Strains of this bacterium aids in the fixation of atmospheric nitrogen - improving long-term health of native plant communities.

 

You can visit my channel for a short video at the following link -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YTyIrfrVjec

"Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum)" - Photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison

We've introduced a few species in our pastures over the years; not many though, just things that are documented or found within a 30 mile radius of us - and suited to our soils and conditions. I still occasionally find things nearby that aren't on our ground, so we constantly weigh what should have been here decades ago, yet perhaps aren't now due to stresses like spraying and/or heavy grazing.

 

One thing we introduced a few years back, that seems very happy to be here, is Anise Hyssop (Agastache foeniculum). Our pastures are just 2 miles from Clay County and this native (but uncommon in the area) Hyssop has been recorded there next door to us in the past. In researching the Anise Hyssop, I thought with the potential location and soil characteristics, the possibility of this plant having actually been here 150 years ago, is not entirely out of the realms of possibility. (I chose the bottom ground which is more mesic than our hillside eskers, yet still well drained and a drier soil).

 

Anise Hyssop (Agastache Foeniculum) grows in clumps 2 to 3.5 feet tall, featuring strong stems topped with slender spikes of lavender-purple flowers that persist through midsummer. The leaves are a greenish color above and whitish underneath...crushing one will give off the scent of anise.

 

Some plants just began to peak here a couple mornings ago, so I went out with the dawn and got some nice shots. Each year these plants seem to persist and bloom almost into late August or early September!

 

Anise Hyssop is a magnet for bees, butterflies, and hummingbirds, as well as night flying moths.

 

You can view a short video done late last summer, on my chammel at the following link - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z9_vFD_q2Ts

 

Thank you for visiting the blog; I hope you are keeping cool out there.  And Remember, please be good to one another - we are all in this together!

 

Summer - the Fourth Approaches

 "Wild Rose (Rosa blanda) with two Metallic Green Sweat Bee species" - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison 

Each morning here the wild roses along our hillside driveway are really showy from the house...I decided this morning to take the camera and tripod down to see if there were any photos presenting possibilities.

I'm fairly confident these are "Rosa blanda" as they are really very smooth and un-barbed on the flowering stems...further down on the base stem they are very barbed. 

 

The roses were being visited by Bumble Bees and Metallic Green Sweat Bees. Which one these two are, I am less sure of. But they are most likely female Texas Striped Sweat Bees - Agapostemon texanus or Bicolored Striped Sweat Bees - Agapostemon virescens, as the females present totally metallic green - both thorax and abdomen. However, they could also be Metallic Green Sweat Bees (Augochloropsis metallica)...another common native bee where both males and females are primarily shiny, metallic green overall.

 

But I'm at least confident of the Wild Rose in the photo! If I could live another 3/4 of a century, I think I could manage to be a fair amateur entomologist too!

Butterfly Milkweed (Asclepias tuberosa) - photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison

Who doesn't love Butterfly Milkweed?!! This is one engaging native wildflower in the pastures here in SE O'Brien County, IA. One of the most recognized milkweed family (Asclepias) member. 

 

Often adopted for the domestic garden, this milkweed will grow in nearly any soil type. Those found here are generally on the gravel slopes and return year after year. 

 

From what I have observed over time is they tend to thrive when they aren't overly crowded by a higher canopy. 

 

We have found this is a good "ambassador" plant for the prairie "uninitiated". When we first came to our little spot many years back, a particular neighbor didn't seem approving of us letting the pastures return to their native state...once a few of the Butterfly Milkweed started to return, some interest was peaked and casual interested conversations became more frequent.

 

You can observe the Asclepias tuberosa in the pastures here in a short "A Prairie Moment" video at the following link - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cG2lJ223zIY

Thank you for visiting my Blog - Happy Fourth of July to everyone out there...please remember to be good to one another - we are all in this together!

More Whites of Spring!

Daisy Fleabane (Erigeron strigosus) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

A very common native "virtually everywhere", is Daisy Fleabane.

Daisy Fleabane is described as an annual or biennial plant of 1 - 3 feet tall, with Individual flowerheads of about ½" across - having a daisy-like appearance.

This native flower of roadsides, yards, pastures and prairies is probably so taken for granted by many because of it's familiarity. It seems to show up and thrive in just about any niche it finds. Although it seemingly prefers mesic to drier soils and full sun, it will also thrive in more fertile locations without heavy competition. Those here on our small native prairie pastures in SE O'Bruien County do best along the gravel hillside slopes.

Its a pleasant multiple flowered plant, cheering up any space it occupies.

If you'd like to view "A Prairie Moment" short video of Daisy Fleabane, you can do so at the following link -

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sEt7RNhaDuU

Foxglove Penstemon or Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis) - photographs - ©Bruce A. Morrison

Another Penstemon sp. here in the north pasture (SE O'Brien County) is the Foxglove Penstemon or Foxglove Beardtongue (Penstemon digitalis). About 3' tall, it shows up with its multiple small (1") white flowers and blooms for about 3-4 weeks. Another great plant for Bees, flies and Hummingbirds. I only find it in the pasture bottom, not up on the gravel slopes, not that it couldn't show up there, I just think its in its happy spot and so it stays.

 

This plant shows up on the BONAP maps as not being in our county, but does show up in Dickinson County...which touches the NE corner of O'Brien. How'd it get here? Well possibly from the IRVM seedings in the area (County seed source) or it might have been here or nearby at some point in time...I can't say...I'm just happy its here!

 

Also, if you'd like to view "A Prairie Moment" video of Penstemon digitalis, you can do so at the following link -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkMLCd98WUs

 

Although we'll be seeing more whites as the season moves along - the colors will get more mixed and we'll see these as the days move into summer!

 

If we ever get a reprieve from the heat we've been experiencing - get out and enjoy a prairie preserve near you!

 

Thank You for visiting my blog - please remember to be good to another...we're all in this together!

 

Prairie Marching Along

Prairie Spiderwort or Long-bracted Spiderwort (Tradescantia bracteat) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

Our Prairie Spiderwort is going strong in the pasture here in SE O'Brien County, but we now have to part the fast growing late Spring/Early Summer grasses and plants to find them! These are Prairie Spiderworts (Tradescantia bracteata); beautiful little flowers much more petite than their domesticated relatives of city gardens, or their native relative the Ohio Spiderwort. And their blossoms can range from magenta to a deep blue. Come late afternoon, the blossoms will become soft and dissolve, making way for a new one the next morning.

 

I only find these in the north pasture, and in two separate populations...interestingly a population along the south slope on the gravel esker here. And another population in the bottom of the north pasture's southeast corner. This little Spiderwort seems to prefer a more dry, gravely soil, and those up on the gravel esker slope look very happy each year I look for them, but those just a hundred feet or so away seem just as accepting to their location.

 

I have a "Prairie Moment" video for this Prairie Spiderwort; if you want to spend a minute with this beautiful native prairie flower, you can do so at the following link - 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qjqp5i_ygbY

 

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

One of the earliest prairie wild flowers I think I can remember as a kid, before I even knew what it was, is likely the Canada Anemone (Meadow Anemone to some). It seems to persist in many roadside ditches; gravel roads particularly. Maybe the Wild Rose species would qualify as a close tie, but regardless - we all start somewhere don't we?

 

I remember when we first moved to our tiny mecca, finding Canada Anemone spread throughout the ditch next to the north pasture...I was very excited to see this familiar white wildflower! Almost as soon as the excitement was realized - a neighbor drove by with his tractor and sprayer and killed back our entire ditch! Auugh!!! Thank goodness the neighbor didn't have free reign of our pastures!!! But all was well after I had a conversation and expressed concern that this would not happen again! It wasn't too many years when the neighbor expressed interest and questions about what he was seeing here.

 

Canada Anemone (Anemone canadensis) did make a comeback in the ditches here, once the periodic spraying stopped, and that tenacity may be it's trait of spreading with thick rhizomes forming those familiar colonies of plants we often see among the bland brome ditches. Its sure welcome here!

 

I have a "Prairie Moment" video for Canada Anemone; if you want to spend a minute with this beautiful native prairie flower, you can do so at the following link -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3dkLCLBXAFU

 

 

Growing Large-flowered Penstemon around the front of the studio.

Large-flowered Penstemon (Penstemon grandiflorus) - photograph ©Bruce A. Morrison

Large-flowered Penstemon even loikes to grow in the gravel around the crib here on the acreage.

Penstemons are such cool plants - top of the list here in SE O'Brien County has got to be the Large-flowered Beardtongue (Penstemon grandiflorus). I have noticed over the years out here that although they're a perennial, they seem to have ebbs and flows in longevity. Our gravel hillsides will experience a big flush of blooms one year and a year or two later we'll find lots of newly started plants from seed but the older plants seem on their last legs. Grateful they reseed so readily.

 

I will admit cheating a little with these guys...I sprinkle seed around the crib and along the entry to the studio...no preparing beds or anything like that...just drop the seed (or allow established pants drop theirs), and instant Large-flowered Beardtongue next spring. They prefer gravelly/dry locations anyway.

 

I'll collect seed from these "nursery" plants each fall for supplementing in the pastures, but leave enough to drop and grow new for next year.

The Sphinx Moths, Ruby-throated Hummingbirds and Bumblebees are very fond of these flowers - and the thick leaves have a very interesting visual and textural feel to them...nothing not to like!

 

I have "A Prairie Moment" video on my channel for the Large-flowered Beardtongue; if you'd like to watch, it can be found at this link -

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BCVb7kipies

 

 Watching the Prairie march along!

 

Thank you for visiting my blog - be good to another and enjoy the season on the Tallgrass Prairie!

 

 

 

Late Spring on the Prairie

Porcupine Grass (Hesperosita spartea) - photo ©Bruce A. Morrison

  

When most think "prairies" they think "grass" for the most part. That's kind of stereotypical of course because there is so much more there. But the native cool and warm season grasses are pretty iconic and cool at the same time...one of our early (cool season) grasses that I really like is the Porcupine Grass (Hesperostipa spartea). The visual presentation and form of this grass always catches my eye with the long awns bowing over the grasses in their arch-like form until their release, when the grass becomes pretty much invisible to passersby...

 

I have a favorite thing I like to do with this grass - when the seed/awn is mature I pick them off and throw them around like darts. I like to pick areas we have that are erosion prone, like the county ditch along our fence line. I toss them like a dart and they almost always faithfully stick into the exposed soils, where they soon twist themselves into the ground and there ya go - more erosion control with just a bit of fun effort!

 

I have a "Prairie Moment" video for Porcupine Grass if you want to spend a minute with the grasses and bird songs at the following link -  

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZI0oWmAmFE

 

In the meantime, above is a close-up of the long awns in the late spring morning dew.

 

Golden Alexander (Zizia aurea) - photo ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

Many things are showing up in our two native pastures here in SE O'Brien County - I haven't been able to follow up with the camera...maybe I'll get a chance soon? Been very busy working with our south pasture, doing support work with the winter seeding, plus some Leafy Spurge follow up work in the north pasture and several other things.

 

But as you approach the pastures here, or as you drive by, most obvious are the Golden Alexanders...some parts are blanketed with it , while other parts are spotted with that characteristic yellow. There's a lot more blooming there and I hope I can share those in the days and weeks ahead.

 

In the meantime I'm trying not to let Spring slip by - lots to do!

 

Thank you for visiting my Blog - I do hope you're enjoying Spring!  

 

Be good to one another! 

 

Winter!

 

"Hunting Moon, Great Horned Owl" - Serigraph

 

Winter really isn't officially here for another week or so but we've been deep into it now for the past three at least! About 14" of snow on the ground here so far, and snowing out the studio window right now as I type!

The serigraph "Hunting Moon - Great Horned Owl" represents this winter well so far - these owls have been looking for rabbits here on the acreage many predawn mornings lately!

 

"Autumn Along the Kadunce" - Oil Painting

I've been painting small the past few weeks...I find I am so much better at keeping my attention span focused doing smaller paintings these days, rather than dragging out weeks for larger canvases. Besides - many folks find the smaller paintings and drawings easier to find spots for on their walls! There is something about these small jewels that really grab you and pull you in closer. I chose my subjects by what has been burning a space in the back of my mind for...in some cases - years! The two above paintings are actual locations along the Lake Superior Hiking Trail system that my wife Georgie and I hiked when we used to spend time at a small cabin we built on the north shore of Lake Superior over 40 years ago. I really loved the Kadunce and the Woods Creek Trail...the Kadunce could be very dramatic; an all up hill trek with so many cool overlooks and narrow canyon walls. One really dry season we hiked the river's canyon from it's top end reaches, down to Lake Superior. There were no trails, we walked the river's bed and waded the shallow rapids...often had to crawl down the now nearly dry falls and dropping rapids; handing down my camera gear and tripod to one another as we went. A rugged wonderland up close and personal! The painting above is rather bittersweet as it was our last visit to the Kadunce 8 years ago during the fall. The night before, a damaging windstorm had hit portions of the shore and when we arrived at the Kadunce trail entrance, we found many, many large trees has blown down, burying most of the trail and accesses to it. We climbed over, under and around as much as we could until we had to finally give up, it was impassible for the most part...but we were able to access the river in 2-3 spots for familiar views that I still cherish...we may never see our old friend again and it meant a lot to still say goodbye.   "Upper Kadunce River, Poplar Clump" - Photograph    (Photograph of the Kadunce River from many years past!)   "Woods Creek, Cedar Break" - Oil Painting   The Woods Creek painting was from memories of hiking that part of the Superior Hiking Trail from back in the 90's. I remember photographing this neat little cedar log dam and having a large Basset Hound come down from the trail and check me out! It was BIG!!! Two ladies up on the path above the creek were walking their dogs and apparently let them off their leashes so they could stretch their legs. Very beautiful and friendly dogs. This stretch of the trail there was a pleasure to hike. The small placid pool created below the cedar log just stuck with me...visions of Brookies were also playing with my imagination!   "New England Asters" - Oil Painting   I haven't drawn or painted my favorite prairie wildflowers for a while and this fall was really a banner year for the asters here...the largest and showiest being the New England Asters. This was a fun small study celebrating this fall's pasture bounty! I really love the prairie pastures here at the studio and would have to live to be a 100+ to cover even a portion of our beautiful native prairie plants and wildlife here.   "Monarchs Nectaring on New England Asters" - Photograph   Never tire of the beauty here around us - Monarch Butterflies here in the pasture this summer and fall...nectaring on the New England Asters - fueling up for their trek south to Mexico for the winter ahead! "Cedar Waxwing - Portrait" - Color Pencil Drawing   With the holiday season we're offering new works to clients...the small paintings just finished will hopefully find homes and many more works here in the studio as well! Along with these come some customer requests and one I just finished for a bird art collector here, is another of my life-size bird portraits - this one a Cedar Waxwing! Gorgeous little birds that we cherish anytime they show up on one or more of our berry bearing trees or bushes here! And we do have other life-size bird portraits available for your holiday giving or even your own personal collection! If any artworks here in this newsletter, or on the current works or prints pages of my website, strike your fancy, just contact me or purchase from the page via the shopping cart available there ("add to cart" link). (Artworks available are all listed under the header "WORKS"...under that header, two sections have artwork for sale - "Current Works" and "Studio Printmaking".) Linked here - https://www.morrisons-studio.com/works For prints or photographs, my Fine Art America (pixels.com) pages present both my available Photography and Artwork (Paintings and Drawings) - all available in many forms of prints and merchandise...everything from posters, prints, canvases, fabrics, bags, puzzles, throw pillows, iPhone cases, cups...ya, you name it! Linked here - https://bruce-morrison.pixels.com/ This is where I now refer clients for prints or reproductions of my work. I have ordered many items from FAA (Fine Art America) for different galleries and venues, and have found FAA's offering to be very satisfactory! After more than a couple of decades of printing my works for the purposes of prints and canvas sales, I have decided to give this process over to the Fine Art America "Print on Demand" (POD) service they offer...I have actually been represented by FAA for nearly 20 years, and would recommend them to anyone wanting a print or canvas or whatever item of my Artwork and Photography! My Studio web site morrisons-studio.com has been my Studio web site for over 2 decades now and will remain so into the future. It is through my Studio web site that I can introduce new and past works, discuss how I work and my subject matter, and make my original paintings and other original artwork available to my clients. It is also the platform from which I will continue to offer you a more personal insight to my work here in my Blog!   And thank you for that - for visiting through the studio's Blog! I hope you'll continue following along! And if there's anything you'd like me to talk about or share - please feel free to contact me! (info@morrisons-studio.com)    Until next time - be good to one another, we're all in this together!

Time???!

A wet humid morning in the valley here.

 

Time is everyone's biggest nemesis, whether we realize it or not.  It has been going through my fingers like sand this summer...maybe part of that is because of the weather, but then there has been a lot going on in the family as well.

 

Evening Rainbows, showers and lightning out front.

We've had a wet late spring and now summer...just 4" this week alone, and I believe our June had around 9 inches.  That is very wet for us, especially seeing we were in a severe drought here from 2020 through 2023 (4 years)...then after a record flood in early 2024 last June, it stopped raining...for months.  Its really screwed up I'd say!

The weather has been great for a change though, but with it comes more work to keep up with things...Georgie in the gardens, me in the pastures and ditches.  Keeping up with weeds on steroids is something we haven't seen for awhile...at least "some" pull more easily, others still need the fork.

 I haven't gotten off the place in some time; my artwork has taken a hiatus.  Too much to get into here, but actually most summers have too much outside time to get in any amount of "easel" time...that works better in the winter when the snow and ice put an end to outdoor chores (other than shoveling or plowing anyway).  But I love the prairie pasture when it wakes up, and wouldn't have it any other way!

 

Baltimore Oriole at its nest here on the acreage!

And the birds!  My greatest love since childhood!  They have not disappointed either...I think I just opened our 50th 32 ounce jar of grape jelly since spring for the Orioles!  We have lots and they serenade us and flash their exuberance and colors...we have both Baltimores and Orchard Orioles here - multiple pairs.

 

Red-headed Woodpecker adult peeking around the corner at me.

One of the Red-headed Woodpecker juveniles here.

I kind of bombed out trying to find the Red-headed Woodpecker's nest this summer, but they're sharing a lot of viewing time for us while they're out and about...even recently got a photo of one of the juveniles that was reared here this summer!

 

Dawn - early light in SE O'Brien County.

I did get a nice request for another article for the Wildflower Wednesday offering through "Bleeding Heartland".  I finally had an excuse to get off the acreage, probably a good thing since its hard for me to do these past few years...getting old has some side effects I'm afraid. 

 

McCormack Area in SE O'Brien County.

I was asked to do an article on Hairy Four O'Clocks (Mirabilis albida) and needed some more images to write the article so ran down to the McCormack Area south of us, where I photographed some back in 2023.  The morning did not disappoint - it was drop dead gorgeous!

The article for Wildflower Wednesday was published a couple days ago at the following link...be sure and watch the video at the end...take in some sounds and sights of the morning there!

https://www.bleedingheartland.com/2025/07/23/iowa-wildflower-wednesday-hairy-four-oclock/?fbclid=IwY2xjawLwxclleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFwTXVlNEU4U0JJdWJMSG9FAR6Bln-NZ9q3cLLDzQhHdyo4DYooQ2tzfTD4Vfthwec04_dsI6A4WmiZneyvVQ_aem_8fAQUVwRmVQPm0v4CKTZmA 

Time???!  Although the context was a bit different, I do believe that the Rolling Stones got it terribly wrong - "Oh, time, time, time is on my side, yes it is"...I wish it were true for all of us!

Take care out there and please be good to one another - we are all in this together. 

 

Very Rough Row to Hoe

Our Road when we awakened June 22

 

June was a surreal month here.  We had been getting a great deal of rain, and were so happy to have it that I guess we forgot to turn off the faucet!  That can happen to a person when they couldn't buy a drop to save themselves for the past 4 years.

But it was too much rain...way too much, and it kept falling - especially to our north and in southern  Minnesota.  We are downstream of course.

We lost our bridge up on the highway; it was washed out underneath on the east end.  The water you see in the photo above was much, much higher before we were awake and aware that there was trouble during the night.  All that you see in the photo and far behind me was under a "rushing" current, for at least an eighth of a mile.  I estimate the water level had dropped at least 18" before this photo was taken.

 

About 45 minutes later I took this photo of the neighbor's pasture across the road.

Things weren't nearly as bad here as the communities had up along the border and south along the Little and Big Sioux Rivers.  Most notably Spencer, and Rock Valley, but Spencer, being a much larger community, suffered a much greater loss of homes and businesses.  It's been a week now since the flooding occurred and all communities and people affected are still dealing with it and will be for a long time to come...to put it mildly I am afraid.

With all the rain we've had since May (June alone has recorded over 10 inches at our place) all of the pastures in the region look like they're on steroids.  Our north pasture is TALL and filled with plants.  The south pasture seeding just before Christmas is showing a lot of seedlings popping up here and there.  I had spent some time back in late April knocking brome back, but should have continued as its getting tall enough again to shade the new growth out.  Never a finished job around here. 

We've had a good bird population again, but as you can see in the flooded pasture photo, it looks like our Bobolink broods did not survive.  Unlike the other grassland nesters, the Bobolinks do not re-nest, just another casualty of this weather.  Even some roadside nesters like the Red-wing Blackbirds and Dickcissels were set back, yet those will retry with the summer still ahead.  Bobolinks, however are summer nomads and after the first week or so of July, flock together and spend their remaining summer wandering about.

 

The Bobolink nests were flooded out this year; we hope next year is kinder to all of us!

In trying to keep up with photographing/documenting all the prairie plants this year, I decided to try something different.  I began recording a very short video of each forb, grass, invertebrate, critter, whatever, to give a glimpse into what is sharing this place with us.  I'm calling these very brief glimpses "Prairie Moments".  I've been posting these 1-3 times a week on my Face Book pages, and sharing to other pages for the Iowa Prairie Network, the Flora of Iowa page, the Iowa Wildflower Enthusiasts page and the Iowa Wildflower Report pages.  I have not gone to other social media sites like Instagram and seriously doubt I will...I have enough trouble just doing this blog most months!  And the Face Book entries keep me pretty busy anyway.

If you are not a Face Book user (I do not blame you if you aren't!) then you can visit my You Tube Channel, which I have a couple that I've used since the early 2000's.  The channel the "Prairie Moments" videos (and many others) can be found on are at this link - 

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgvYJOX68HwKFLdPZqkm6Qw

I'll insert one of the "Prairie Moments" here too so you can have a quick look!

 (If the video preview above does not work on your device - just click on this link directly to You Tube - https://youtu.be/BCVb7kipies?si=RhmUqZNSHuo4RfXU )

 

Rain storms the new "Norm"...photograph - ©Bruce A. Morrison

 

I was just reading an article on our planet's warming trend.  It seems that for every degree rise (I assume Fahrenheit but maybe they were referring to Centigrade?), the atmosphere takes on an additional 4% of water vapor...the atmosphere so far has had to take on an additional 10+% of water vapor and it cannot hold it.  We end up with more rain and larger rain events.  I guess our current condition  (in our region) is also due to a large heat dome over New England; this moisture cannot pass through that heat dome and it all visits us instead.

So it appears we are still stuck in a storm/rain pattern here for the foreseeable future...hunkering down for a heavy rain even as I type this entry.  We'll all do our best to adjust...what else can we do?  

We truly need to be more in tune to this planet we all share.  We are responsible in the end!

Stay safe out there and be good to one another