Harvest

Interesting human behavior, a drought, stewardship, and more...

Harvest is nearing an end in the Cedar Creek area. The day after I took this photo, the corn in the photo was harvested.

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The heat and lack of rainfall is a problem. Every river I cross is low. I’ve never seen the pond with so little water in it.

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I believe these are oyster mushrooms. They are doing fine. They seem to come and go every couple of weeks.

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I see stacks of wood like this on occasion on the shores of Lake Red Rock. This one has been on my path above Cedar Creek for over a year. Notice the deer skull in both photos.

People sure do interesting things...

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I love how mushrooms push through the earth, much stronger than they look!

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Above is a daddy-long-legs I spotted, also known as a harvestman.

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We have always called these “wooly bear” caterpillars. This is the first one I have seen this fall. I spotted it Tuesday morning. I’m used to them having a brown band in the middle. Supposedly, the wider the brown band, the milder the winter. You can see there is a bit of brown on the right. If this is correct, we are looking at a harsh winter.

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Sometimes after midnight, I hear some odd sounds behind our house above Cedar Creek—almost like cats fighting. I woke up early Monday morning, heard the sounds, and turned my recorder on. Anyone know who is making these sounds?

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Chris Clingan is the Director of Mahaska County Conservation. I don’t remember how we met, but I am impressed by all of the work he and his team manage to accomplish in Mahaska County. A few months ago, after I told him that I took walks at the Cedar Bluffs Recreation Area nearly every morning, he asked me if I would volunteer to pick up trash and more, since it was only a few minutes’ drive from my home, and a 20-minute drive from Oskaloosa where he is based, and he could use the help.

I’ve walked there for years, and as you all know, I love the place. But, I figured trail maintenance wasn’t my responsibility, and while sometimes I would pick up branches and throw them off the trail, I really never did any work.

Until Chris asked. One time a few months ago, a tree was down across the path, and I texted him a photo. He apologized that he couldn’t send anyone down for a few days. I told him that I would get a saw, and take care of it the next day. Which, of course, I did, to his gratitude.

I am now a volunteer for Mahaska County Conservation. I think of myself as a “trail steward,” and if I can take care of a problem, I do it. Since I am retired (but busy), I don’t have to be anywhere at the start of the day most of the time.

Tuesday morning, Violet the Dog and I found a tree down, as you can see above. An hour later, we had the path cleared. It felt good, and it was a good workout.

It made me realize that for the many years I have walked the paths, I did little to maintain them, thinking it was “someone else’s responsibility.”

I was so wrong. So, so wrong.

Maintaining the many paths in our lives is everyone’s responsibility who walks down them. Thanks, Chris for the reminder!