I hope your summer has been a good one. I also hope you received plenty of moisture to green your pastures and grow the grass that you need to supply your operation.

We received early rains that greened us up nicely then in late June and July the pastures got pretty dry but we always stayed mostly green. In early August we received good rains that gave us some tank water and filled most of the waterholes along the creek. Since then the grass has really come on strong and because we were still fairly green the grass just started growing without needing the extra rains and time to turn green before it could start growing.

Now it is September and fall is upon us. Sept. 22, 2024 is the official fall equinox and fall officially begins. Sept. 22 is the official first day but I noticed fall had arrived a couple weeks ago due to the slant of the sun’s rays and how they gave the trees and meadow that fall light and feel. Since that day I have also noticed the smell of fall in the air both in the mornings and during the hot afternoons.

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Many of the days are so very pleasant in the fall of the year. The temperature moderates but has not yet turned cold. But you must be aware of the hazards the fall season brings, especially roadway and driving hazards. The leaves of the deciduous trees turn colors causing the forests to become works of art. So, in later September if you might be traveling the mountain highways you need to be alert for the leaf peepers who may be watching for vibrant stands of aspen trees to photograph and not concentrating on the road at all. The tarantulas here in southeast Colorado begin their march which seems to inevitably bring them across the local highways. They do not cause a hazard themselves but if you are driving those highways, you must stay alert for drivers swerving to miss the spiders. Even more hazardous are the spider watchers who have been known to stop their vehicle right in the highway, pile out all doors leaving them open and in the path of approaching traffic. The abandoned vehicle may be a warning that the occupants of that vehicle may now be  crawling or even lying upon the roadway while getting a close up video of the tarantulas as they slowly move along on their trek.

These hazards aside fall is a wonderful time to get out and see the sights. Go leaf peeping and tarantula photographing, just think about other traffic on the roadway and be safe. Of all four seasons fall is the favorite for many people.

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It all happens because of the Earth’s tilt, approximately 23.4 degrees. Like a spinning top the Earth spins on its axis but at a tilted angle as earth revolves around the sun in an elliptical orbit. It all combines to determine the seasons and even the changes in the  length of the day. It is all quite fascinating, but that discussion will be for another day.

Fall is a whimsical time that just makes a person want to go have fun. Go get in that last boast, that last vacation and fling before winter sets in again. Come ride along with me as we enjoy a boastful poem just for fun. 

Cowboy Sidewinder

I am a cowboy sidewinder,

My bite is deadly at that.

I am strong as a bull,

 And quick as a cat.

I stand tall and straight,

True and plumb,

A good looking cuss,

Sure ’nuff handsome, then some.

I am good hunting critters,

Mountain lion and snake,

I hunt bears with a stick,

And geese with a rake.

One fist of granite,

The other redwood full grown.

If you don’t like getting hurt,

You best leave me alone.

My hearing is so good,

I can hear a fly on the wall

And to spot a horned toad at a mile,

Ain’t no challenge at all.

I can run for miles,

And never get winded.

I wintered one time,

With a cougar I friended.

The oiliest thing in this world,

 can quiet my bragging plaise,

When my wife tells me,

“Mister, you’d best mind your ways!’

One thing I cannot abide,

Is liars by gum.

I speak only the truth,

Though I might stretch it some.