Awoke early in the dark, 6:20AM it’s pitch black still, but time for coffee anyhow. The dark sky had a peculiar cast and the white dog was damp with dew. As the sky lightened it was clear we were in a cloud, and it was cold (43-degrees) enough to remind us that winter is approaching.

By 12:30 the sun broke through and it was a balmy 64-degrees, and the blue skies were a reward for all the hazy smoke we had endured.
Meanwhile “out on the prairie” last week we discovered an interesting artifact that was uncovered by some burrowing creature – not the dog, an old and discarded nest of “miner bees” that live underground…the honeycombs are empty.


That handle sticking up is attached to a 12-inch screwdriver, and it’s resting on a ledge or else it would fall into the cavity. This region is known for its honey and beehives, but miner-bees are solitary and don’t follow the traditional bee lifestyle, much like many of the residents up here in the sticks.