The reason I laughed in the title is that using Random Thoughts  for a title is a bit redundant. 

All my thoughts are random.

So today, I’ll itemize them and then see if there is any common thread when I finish.  I can’t imagine it now, but you never know.

1.  Looking at yesterday’s picture of Brave, Brave Petunia made me remember that I haven’t told you the short saga of this year’s grape crop.  Can a saga be short, you ask?  Not usually.  That’s why I described it as short. Here it is.

The squirrels and the birds ate the whole crop while we were in Nova Scotia.  It wasn’t quite ready to harvest before we left, and I had an inkling that all would be gone when we returned. Yep. Not even one grape was left.  Dang.

Then, this short saga reminded me of another somewhat longer saga, again, fraught, fraught I say, with drama.

2.  It was the sunflowers that I planted for the first time this year. From the 15 or so places I planted seeds, I had about five plants develop. From those five, I had three that made it to producing flowers. The first succumbed to gravity, cracking the stem. I suspected wind or critters.

And then there were two. The smaller of the two lasted a little longer before bowing her head to gravity. and, I suspect, a little help from the critters.

And then there was one. Until we returned from camping up north. (Sorry, Dr. Buggey, I will always refer to northern MN as up north.  Get over it.)

And when we returned, gravity was not the culprit for this sunflower had been beheaded. The stalk was standing there, unbroken and unbowed. Without a flower.  My first thought was Henry VIII, but then he beheaded wives, not flowers. My next thought was that the clever little critters—and here I am referring to the $#@% squirrels —– had sat on the fence, pulled the flower over to them and chewed it off.  They are always on that fence and have been scurrying around of late, gathering food for the winter.  My beautiful and last blossom is stored someplace where the squirrels won’t remember and I will find it, smushed and rotting,  next year in the spring.  The only good thing is that they did not bury it in the yard. We would have seen the ten inch hole. Or holes, because they bury something, then decide it’s not a good place, dig it up and bury it five feet away.   @#$% squirrels.

3.  Found a new word today: orgulous (OR-gyuh-luhs) adj: Haughty        USAGE: “Behring was not too orgulous to ask for practical advice when in the spring of 1894 he had run into difficulties.”   I may be orgulous in the future, just so I can use the word!   I’m just saying…

4. And after the word for the day( from Wordsmith.org) I found this thought for the day and I liked it:

“You become a writer by writing.  It is a yoga.”    -R. K. Narayan, novelist (1906-2001)

I am enjoying writing this blog. It’s relaxing and stimulating at the same time.

All right, time to see if there’s any thread of commonality: grape loss, sunflower beheading, haughty, write every day.

Nope. Well, that’s okay, then, because the title was Random Thoughts!!!!

Big Hugs to you. Wish me luck as I head down to Decorah for my 40th college reunion tomorrow!

Janet