A few quick thoughts

I've got an early-morning blood donation appointment at the Red Cross this morning -- seemed like a good idea to make it for the morning, but as I groggily type I'm not so sure now.

I have a few quick things to show you this morning, starting with this. Woodpecker damage, or something more sinister? These holes are all over the trunk of my neighbor's beautiful magnolia -- I hope it is just woodpeckers.

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Remember a few weeks ago when I went to the St. Louis zoo? Well, it turns out that if I want to see larger animals (other than deer) I just need to drive for 10 minutes or so to Lone Elk Park:

I've lived in this area for over 20 years, and I've never been to this park. A herd of elk, and if I remember correctly there were even a few bison. Why did I drive thousands of miles out to Yellowstone this summer?


Finally, things aren't always as they appear. This looks like a wonderful place for a hike or a bike ride, doesn't it?

Well, I'd definitely hike this, but leave your bike in the car. After a mile or so of somewhat rocky trails, this flat, grassy land looked like it was going to be a nice, easy stretch on a ride this summer. What you don't realize until you're out there is this is not native prairie land with centuries of soil built up, but is a sandy flood plain. Essentially it's a grassland on a beach, and the trail was so soft and sandy that it was impossible to ride. We gave it a try though, but turned back after 10 minutes of frantic pedaling.

I realized that this spot and our experience here had something in common with my garden: both look lovely at first glance, but once you start getting an up-close view, everything is not so perfect. Plus it's a lot more work than expected.

Off to donate blood. If you've never done so, please consider it!  RedCrossBlood.org

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