Thistle

In the big field where the puma kitty likes to hang out, Joe noticed a big purple flower on the way back from work. I let him take this picture. He managed to capture it without getting stuck by its sharp spines. We have a couple of goldfinches in this area -- I see them on occasion, swooping by with their rhythmic "cheep-cheep-cheep ... cheep-cheep-cheep." Danny Vowell, the New Era's backyard bird expert, says they love to eat thistle seed from a big sock. I've wanted to get such a sock since I heard about it, but maybe I'll have to content myself with the blues for now.