Post 37/2021 Saturday 11 September . . . The ground we covered on foot and by car this week yielded happy encounters. A perplexing discovery, though, involves the need to correct my blog indexing. Today it’s Post 37. Last week I entered the 4 September blog as Post 38. Got ahead of myself. Slowed down to doublecheck. Always a good thing to do. I made a number of indexing errors that wait to be corrected. Welcome to the reeled in, real Post 37.

Hail Monarchs

On a walk to the library we came across Monarchs feeding like social butterflies; not in a frenzy, just fittingly flitting from flower to flower. Such a too rare sight. I recall the time years ago in a visit to Pismo Beach, California, where we saw trees full of Monarchs in migration. May all protective measures increase their number.

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Hello horses

On another walk to the Bureau of Motor Vehicles, to renew our drivers licenses, we stopped at a corral for a brief chat with the horses. To be sure, it was a one way exchange, even as four of them eventually came to the gate to inspect us and turn away as I said, “Sorry, no carrots or saddle today.” Beauties, they are. We continued on our way through the Larry Beachy Classified Forest.

Hawk on the ground

At the Reith Interpretative Center we came across a hawk, separated from us by the width of a sidewalk. We paused, casually–or maybe warily–eyed each other, and then slowly padded on. The hawk stayed put. The hawks we’ve seen before have either been in a tree or flying. This was a first to find one on the ground. Hiding its prey?

Bees know where to feed

After the BMV and breakfast, on the way home we encountered numerous bees gathering daily food for their winter store. Awesome, the lessons bees demonstrate.

Homeward from LaGrange County

On our drive home on Labor Day from neighboring LaGrange County we saw numerous buggies and farm equipment pulled by horses, including this four-hitch pulling a harvester wagon. I also got a glimpse of a seven-hitch pulling a large cultivator. Clap your hands for such displays of horsepower and the people, like my dad, always a lover of horses, did, who can deftly handle the team.

Elkhart County River Preserve

On Friday we did a short walk on part of the Elkhart River Preserve County Park. At the halfway point we paused for a picnic lunch, coming home just in time for our bank’s customer appreciation treat: a root beer float.

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Post 37/2021 Saturday 11 September

A Maud Lewis calendar came to the rescue, thanks to a gift from sister Kaye. Each month features a scene painted by this amazing Nova Scotia folk artist. The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia holds many of Lewis’ paintings in its permanent collection, including the tiny house where she lived.

Be glad

Be glad for a reprieve this week from comments on vaccine history concerning measles, mumps, tetanus, hepatitis, and polio. Enough said.

Be mindful of the bone-chilling terrorist attacks in New York City, Pennsylvania and the nation’s capital, twenty years ago today. God be merciful in every loss.

Be well. Be happy. Be careful, John, in your indexing.

-John