Friday, October 03, 2014

I thought I'd just send flowers ...


It's a discouraging affair, this business of getting up in the morning to review the headlines via favorite "liberal" sources --- MSNBC, The Daily Beast and Huffington Post: Ebola, ISIS and spongy green spheres the size of tennis balls washing up on Australian beaches.

"Liberal," I assume, because my political and social leanings now have been clarified. I took one of those popular online quizzes the other day --- you know the genre, "Which Variety of Canned Diced Tomato are You?" --- and came out 97 percent Democrat (or Green Party). This is reassuring, but a little troubling --- what about that 3 percent?

The news on the home front is a little more encouraging. Today is Homecoming (chili and cinnamon rolls from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Carpenters Hall, parade at 2:30 p.m. and the Chargers vs. Norwalk at 7:30).

And my new house insurer --- for generations known as South Central Mutual Insurance --- called yesterday to invite me to today's open house at what henceforth apparently will be known as Summers Insurance. That's from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at 1920 West Court (aka the Shelton building). Most recently, the agency had fallen into the hands of Danes from Elk Horn. The new owners are from Albia. Perhaps things will settle down there now after years of disarray. It was encouraging to discover the Summers knew my phone number, since for a number of years the agency has been unable to keep track of my mailing address.

On the other hand, a dark blue mass known as a freeze warning is gathering on the Plains to the west. So our prolonged summer can't last much longer. Enjoy it while you can.

These are Flax-leaved Asters (Ionactis linariifolius), picked (with a camera) just for you the other day on the prairie near Derby. 

1 comment:

Mary Ellen said...

I learn more about native prairie plants from your blog Frank, than I do on prairie hikes. Plus, less work! Thanks.