Grey and still // tracks and cracks

Everything was grey and still -- from the concrete and asphalt and dusty road below to the cloud-cover above.

We heard the whistle in the park that meant Sissy and Dewayne were already there training the labs. We have heard a mockingbird with a surprising facsimile of Dewayne's whistle so we always look to see if the truck is in the park (and retrievers milling around).

The deer left tracks in the grey dust near the places they enter and exit the woods (area of knocked down brush). Scruff and Paddy caught the scent, but we saw and heard no deer this morning...

Deer were here.

 I love these weeds. The are some of the few GREEN things left in the meadow.

The ground is already cracking. No rain.

This is the dirt road in the park. The cracks in the fields are more frightening.

You can see most of the cycle of the clematis - vine, flower and seed head.  We watch these almost every day to see if they are dry enough to harvest.

 More seeds of the clematis very close to being dry enough to pick. I wonder what has happened with all the others as we have seen blooms for a month, but few seeds past the "green spiky ball." Perhaps the deer or birds are eating them. We have managed to pick a very few seeds.












The pecan trees are bearing, but some trees are dropping the tiny pecans. The sidewalk is covered with them. We need more rain to have any kind of a crop this year.

These are native pecans in the park. I think the drought is easier on the native trees than on the hybrids.



While the walk was dull and grey, the progress of the pups is encouraging. Paddy is still a little jealous, but is fine as long as she gets the first treat. She is a fast "sitter" so that first treat is always hers. You can almost see the wheels turning in Scruffy's brain - "Oh, yeah. I am supposed to sit now."

Scruffy slept outside last night and we heard no frantic barking until three joggers ran by this morning.

While he is so excited to walk that he sometimes barks as his collar is changed, he did not bark while on the lead to eat (Paddy is food aggressive and Scruff is reported to be. We have decided to keep both on leads while they eat to avoid any theft or other altercation. The most frightened I have been with Paddy and Oreo was a food fight. Dogs are not as amusing as "Animal House."). He used to bark until I could get outside to release him. Today he and Paddy were both laying down and waiting for me.

Routine? Almost.