Overheard

I was walking around Lake Como yesterday. As often happens when people are within earshot, I caught a snippet of a conversation which surprised me and made me chuckle a bit. I wrote it down. And I wondered what question had elicited this response. One woman said to her companion, "No, but we got rid of the ferret." There will be a prize for the best question that causes this response. Maybe a pet ferret.

The plants in the Twin Cities are feeling stress from a very dry September and yesterday's 85 degree temperatures. And it's autumn. There are interesting things happening to the vegetation.

Milkweeds are splitting apart and exposing silky seeds.

There are still some flowers blooming at the butterfly garden over by the Conservatory.  Poppies, I think.

And the maple trees are doing their best to turn that effervescent orange-red that means the peak of leaf viewing has arrived. I think they're being done in by the arid air, but they're trying.

I'm playing some tennis outside today. It's October fifth and its going to be 80 degrees. There appear to be some positive effects of global warming. I just hope we don't pay for this good weather with a winter like last year.