Scenes from this week....

My work schedule gives me one work week morning off, and for the past two weeks, they have involved taking a large fluffy allergy prone dog to the vet for ear checks and shots. Thanks to a recurrent yeast infection in his ear (?) we now feed him the ridiculously expensive all natural stuff, no wheat, no corn, no dairy. There might be a lactose intolerance involved too, but I haven't the heart to find out. How do you not share your cheese with this face? I'll worry about lactose intolerance some other time. I'm weak.

After the vet, to make up for all the indignities, we went to the woods to for a walkabout. We saw lots.

The best things we saw wouldn't be photographed. A pair of great horned owls, roosting in separate trees, each silently swooped away from us as we walked through their patch of old forest. This is the second time I have seen them - the first time, I wasn't ready with the camera, and this time I was, but it still didn't matter. You can't see them until they fly, and they are swift and eerily silent, and blend in so well with the trees that my photos are of no use. 

Trust me, they were there.

I'm strangely taking snaps out the car window again - I find the scenery compelling. This is the first half of my ride to work. I know all the back roads to avoid stop lights, strip malls and traffic.

I drive past some amazing farms, and on one new shortcut, I found a delightful, whimsical assortment of sculptures in the pasture. It is as hard to get a decent shot of my favorite - a crow pulling a worm from the ground - as it is to catch a great horned owl with my camera. Something is always moving too quickly.

My commute ends at the center of the second largest city in Illinois. The economic downturn has hit it very hard. Entire blocks are vacant, boarded up, waiting for something, anything to happen. I guess that's what we are, the something that is happening.  A few jobs to go with the masses we are educating would go a long way toward helping, in my little opinion.

This is the view from the top of the parking garage, looking out over the river to the east. There is a strange dichotomy to our new construction and the old, sad buildings and vacant stores and halfway houses that surround us.  Of course there is a casino. In Illinois, where there is water, there is always a casino.

The other view, to the west. This lovely building with the ornamental onion top is vacant and sad. I've learned that it is the Hobbs building, built in 1892, and it used to be a furniture and a casket store.

 It's very strange going to work as the sun is setting, while most of the world is heading home. I amuse myself with the random scenery. The first time I saw this Christmas display, I almost choked on my coffee. It's bizarre, and again, I took a really crappy picture. If I can ever get a good one, I'll repost it, but they usually have their cars blocking it. Do you see the polar bear leering over tiny baby Jesus? What's missing from the photo is the snowman and Santa that bracket the creche. I imagine the owners are pretty happy with their decor, and don't see the unintentional humor in the composition and arrangement. I do. It makes my drive, 5 days a week, along with the giant crow, the lovely farms and the midwestern sky.

Lastly, we had our first snowfall of the year, followed by our first ARE YOU KIDDING ME??????

cold snap of 6 degrees with a brisk wind to chill us to the bone. Furry dogs don't seem to mind, but  the humans did a bit of complaining. The lovely snow took a little of the winter bite away.

Have a nice week, and I'll check in next weekend with the interesting things I find between now and then.