Smokey Mountain Breakdown

So, I didn't make it to the Popcorn thing today. My body has just given out and demanded a day of rest. Good unmedicated sleep with lots of stage IV (or stage N3 if you are going by the 2007 revision)--the type of sleep I've been missing and the most beneficial for my lupus. I'll check with Betsy and see if she got any shots of the hearse with the horses. She always hears the best local gossip.

But it wasn't a total loss. The leaves seem to be at their peak and the dreary day popped the saturation. And look! Little Dude found the sunflower seeds! I was having a lie-down and saw him scampering across the porch rails and was able to snap some quick shots through the window. Their species name, Tamias, means "storer" in Greek. He's really going to town here--look at his widdle cheeks all puffed out! Now that he knows where the sunflower heads are, I'm sure he'll be back for more. Maybe tell all his friends.

That's one of the reasons I love sunflowers so much--they are so beautiful while growing and an easy fall feeder for birds and wildlife.