Tall Tales from Kansas

Before the first snow of the season, I managed to squeeze in one more good walk out at Clinton lake. It was glorious. Foggy, moist, full of the aroma of decomposing leaves, cool but not of the type requiring a heavy coat. In other words, some of my favorite conditions for walking.

It was a perfectly, perfect, walk.

On the ground a plethora of hedge apples. But this tree below retained its fruit, in the manner of a tree decorated for the holidays.

I love the hedge apples from the Osage Orange tree. Food for the squirrels, quite useful for hedge ball bowling on the trail, some say if you put one in your basement it will discourage crickets from camping out.

On this day my Merlin bird call app told me I was hearing Carolina wrens, American crows, white throated sparrows, a tufted titmouse, and a white breasted nuthatch. But the most interesting bird related sound I heard was the noise made when the gulls feet hit the water as they landed. They were flying about, low, over the water, not calling to each other, and every once in a while they would land for a few seconds. It was so quiet and still I could hear their feet as they slapped the water. It is etched in my mind.

The weather is nothing you can depend on in the winter in Kansas. You never know when it might be face freezing cold, snowy, muddy, or windy. It made this day even more special.

Hello tree holding on to your leaves extra tight.

Thank you for the gift that was this view.