Lush Greens~

 It had been almost two weeks since I'd ridden!  Too long, but with the high winds & spring to-do list at home, the days flew by.  I'm behind on my mileage, but ahead on my yardwork.  I've been gifted more plants this month & working on the area along the woods.  Today though, it was just too perfect to ignore & I was ready for a ride.

Fields turning green~

Yesterday afternoon, Butch was late leaving IA on his way to Greenfield, IN.  The timing was fortuitous.  As we were talking, I was looking ahead of him on Google maps & saw three crash icons.  Just a few miles ahead on I-74 was a huge pile up caused by blowing dust.  The interstate was closed both directions & all traffic routed to a parallel highway for several miles. It was just before midnight when he arrived at his delivery.  Both of us thankful he'd made it safely.

The Walnuts are leafing out!

Always the last of the trees to open their leaves & the first to lose them, I look forward to seeing the canopy close over the trail.  Our front yard too, benefits from all the shade the Walnut provides.  

Silver Creek, from the Trestle

All was quiet on the trestle, the level of the water in the creek has dropped since my last visit in mid-April.  I admit I'm not riding this section of trail as often as I used to, but it's still one of my favorites.

Boehner Pond~

At the pond, a family of geese had just gone to shore.  They were so cute, with five goslings swimming between their parents.  The ponds water level is still much better than it was all last summer & into fall.  As dry as we are this spring, I can only hope the forecast rain for this coming week materializes.

I called Butch before turning back toward Silver City.  He was in Cincinatti, still waiting for a trailer to be loaded & watching his drive clock tick down.  Waiting to be loaded or unloaded is never a driver's favorite way to pass the time & Butch has done a lot of it these past couple weeks.  He's stayed out longer than usual, so we can have a couple extra days over Memorial Day Weekend.  At least he had one night home & we did catch a lunch!

Heading back north~

The fields are so beautiful when the fresh crops are starting to break ground.  Crops here have been planted for a few weeks now.  Even so, when I met Butch for lunch on Thursday in Council Bluffs, the dust was so thick near the Mid-American Plant on I-29 traffic was slowing. 

Reed Canary Grass~

It's the time of year horses love in Iowa.  All the green grass & not quite time yet for the biting bugs.  I've only used spray once, but I know that will change when things warm up again.  We broke records earlier in the month for days' at or close to 90 degrees.  Thankfully that changed & we cooled down to more seasonable temperatures.  Yesterday, we only reached the low 60's with cloud cover & winds gusting to 55 mph., just no moisture to accompany the clouds. 

Everywhere Butch has been east of us & south, has been wet & he's driven in rain. If he could just figure out a way to bring some back this way with him!  I've been watering almost every day.  The trees we've planted are large enough now; the drought is affecting them.  Moles undermining the root systems doesn't help.  I've been soaking the roots & added garden soil around the trunks.  Fingers crossed they survive.