Convention Season

With the countdown to Thanksgiving Thursday, I would imagine that your households here in the US anyway are busy getting ready for the best dinner of the year. Here not so much. Hubby is still in corn harvest, which they hope to finish up tomorrow. Hopefully he will be home by tomorrow night. While the girls go to their in-laws for dinner, we will have a very quiet Thanksgiving. I did buy a turkey the other day because it was so cheap, so I may thaw it out and roast it.

I have grown tired of my fall decor that I have had out since September, but I am holding off on putting up the Christmas decorations until after Thanksgiving. I have to decide what to do about a tree since I donated mine last year. I am thinking of an un-pre-lite tree.  I do have some fun Christmas projects that I want to share with you, but I am going to wait. Let's savor the moments and rush not the season.

When I went out to feed yesterday morning, I heard the roar of the squawking Canada geese as they were coming for a landing to the east just outside of town where they were gathering by the thousands. From the Garden Spot, I could see them circling above the convention site, turning the sky black, the conventioneers filling the early morning sky. Later in the day I drove out to see them in the fields.

I used my 75-300 mm Canon lens and still didn't close enough. I didn't walk out into the field for fear of scaring them way, nor did I want to be a trespasser. So I parked the SUV on the side of the road to get these shots.

They arrive in small groups, a few families at a time busy chattering to each other, calling to those below announcing they arrival.

They set down right in the middle of the flock. Are they meeting up with friends from the North? Do they reunite with family? Do they make plans and business deals? Do they arrange marriages for their eligible children? Or do they just land, hoping to find a good dining spot?

The convention began at daybreak with the arrivals flying in from all parts all day.

Many of the fields have been plowed for the winter, while other fields still have corn stubble, making good feed for the thousands of Canada geese that congregate along the Front Range all winter long.

Often the snow geese follow along. While not rare in these parts, we do not always see the snow geese.

From our backyard, I often get photos of the abandoned grain elevator on the main highway; now you can see it from the other view, east of town.

How many geese? Thousands. They will not return to this field either.

At the end of the day as I drove home from an open house in Greeley. The geese blackened the sky again as they had ended their convention, flying over the highway headed west, craws and bellies full, all partied out, looking for the lakes where they would spend the night. Tomorrow another convention in another field.

A bit behind, I finally made my dish flowers. I like the way they turned out. I have more dishes to work with. I think these will make either nice table center pieces or plate flowers in the garden next spring; although, they are very heavy.

 I will give these away as gifts. I especially like the Anchor Hocking white egg plate laced in gold. The amber glass are Tiaraware saucers. Remember Tiara glass sold through home parties? I bought a few pieces then. The amber candle holder comes from Home Interiors and Gifts, another home party company that sold decorating accessories. (I sold Home Interiors for years before I went back to graduate school). Both companies had beautiful, quality products. Home Interiors went bankrupt and another company bought it out, so it is still in business with it's Homco line still in production. I don't know about Tiaraware. These independent direct sales companies that were family owned companies gave so many woman careers. I hate that these beautiful pieces end up at thrift stores, but still it is wonderful to seem them re-purposed. 

I will be sharing this mosaic with Judith at Lavender Cottage, so drop by to see all of the other beautiful and interesting mosaics.

Will anyone be participating in their local Turkey Trot before they eat dinner? Jen has asked me join her in the 5K Trot. What is that girl thinking? She is a runner; I am not. I'll see. 

Thanks for stopping by. Have a wonderful week.

Happy Thanksgiving.