[OFB Cafe] Monarch Butterflys

[Rick Bowers]

At Wednesday 10/15/2008 16:45, you wrote:
>Rick Bowers wrote:
>>That's awesome, Don! For me, near Boston, I had the first of the 
>>leaves begin to drop from the trees yesterday. It's getting to be 
>>that time of year when the colder temperatures arrive and the rakes come out.
>>
>>Last week-end was in the 70's as it has been all week. The 
>>temperatures drop to the 40s/50s Friday night and the chance of 
>>rain increases. Of course, I picked this week-end to go camping on 
>>Cape Cod. It was planned a few months ago. Oh well.
>>
>>~Ric
>It has been drizzly here all day up until about a half hour ago.  I 
>doubt many Monarchs are flying... <grin>, and we all know wet 
>butterflys don't fly at night!  (takeoff on an old joke from Jackie Vernon)
>
>Last year about this time, my wife and I made a trip to Alexandria, 
>VA to see our son.  While there we rented a car and made a side trip 
>down to see an old friend at Camp Lejune, NC.  The leaves were 
>changing colors, and we REALLY enjoyed it!  The last time we had 
>been anywhere the leaves changed was while we were in Ohio from 1988 to 1993.
>We have one grove of Maples in Texas in the "Lost Maples" park to 
>the west of us.  You almost have to get a reservation to get into 
>the place in the Fall!  Except for the few Elms and Sumacs, we don't 
>have the foliage change you get up in your neck of the woods.   As a 
>matter of fact, the "live oaks" shed their leaves in the 
>spring  when the new leaves push the old ones off the 
>branches!    Not much color change at all, just a mess in my yard to clean up!
>
>I had a regular "Fall" while growing up in Missouri.  I miss it, but 
>I sure don't miss the snow!  In a couple of months you will be 
>shoveling your driveways and walks all day every day, and I will be 
>watching the sunsets from my deck while enjoying a few Shiner Bocks 
>(http://www.shiner.com/), and Moose Drools 
>(http://www.bigskybrew.com/index.aspx/Our_Beers/Moose_Drool) while 
>supper is cooking on the charcoal grill.
>
>;-)
>
>-Don Spoon-

I sort of like the seasonal changes. I'm not particularly fond of the 
cold, but it helps me appreciate the warmer weather when it's here.

The trees are displaying very vibrant colors now. Next week-end is 
supposed to be the peak. I would snap some pictures, but my camera 
got dropped and is now non-functional. I'm checking into a new one, 
but haven't chosen the replacement yet.

As far as snow goes, I shoveled by myself for many, many years. I 
finally broke down a few years ago and got a nice snow blower. It 
caught a rock last year and snapped the shear pins so I need to get 
if fixed soon. I've been doing the neighbor's driveways since I moved 
to this house about 4 years ago. It's such a pleasure to have a 
mechanical device to help remove the snow rather than my back.

~Rick