August 29

The giant sunflowers are still thriving in this late August warmth, and now the seed heads will begin to enlarge and droop as their maturity continues.

Louise cuts a dozen or so heads each morning and places them loosely in pale, white plastic buckets in front of the store. It is a pleasant contrast of the red store front with the white and yellow splash of flowers on one side of the open garage, and collected zinnias of all colors set in another bucket on the other side.

The finches and chick-a-dees will start to investigate the drooping heads, now particularly that the coneflowers and daisies have run their course. The fare is beginning to diminish with the onset of September around the corner, and the birds have increased their activity at the dooryard feeders. Larger flocks are becoming active, and we had twenty or so red-winged blackbirds descend to the ground below the feeders, mill about in apparent Tom foolery, and then depart suddenly and as one. Soon, they will begin their southern migration.