After a record- (and heart-) breaking drought this summer, the cool weather is transforming the grasses, weeds, flowers, and what few trees we have into a color palette mixed with warm, soothing colors.
The colors seem to calm my aching heart that it will rain again, we won’t have to sell the entire cow herd and harbor a lease with no animals on the land. Ouch, the worry hurts.
But look down and see the brilliance of the humble tumbleweeds’ minute purple flowers and Mother Nature calms these fears. The dry brown of the pastures blend into the yellows, oranges and golds.
Look up into the rustling cottonwoods (my favorite sound in the world) at the sharp green neighboring the popping yellow leaves. Even the woodvine strangling out the cedar tree (go woodvine go!) is a rich red.
Look at the dusty blue turn pink Sand Bluestem, the prickly Russian thistle in its hot pink strips, and the sunflower (which I painted as inspiration on ReeRee’s step stool). Friends are posting pictures on Facebook of their brilliant autumn views of Colorado aspens, oaks along the rivers, and I think my prairie color palette is just as vivid as theirs.
