Cows in the pasture, elk in the street, must be pumpkin time

We have had one knockout day after another, and every time I think the Big Show is over it astonishes me with another production number. There may be a better time than October in Antrim County, but if there is I have never seen it and I’m not sure my heart could stand it if I did.

Pumpkins and squash and bok choy and rainbow chard are on offer at the Providence Farm stand. The view isn’t too shabby either.

Over on Church Road the cows take their ease in a sunny pasture. Take my word for it, those are cows.

Yesterday was a big day in Elk Rapids. Bouquets of black and orange balloons, tethered in front of every shop, bounced around in the breeze. Kids with orange hair and astonishing getups built floats over at the marina, and practiced their moves.

Then came the parade. The band danced down the street. No other word for it. You would not believe the complicated moves they use these days. I was envious. My high school marching band, though widely admired, was not a patch on these kids. They were followed by people with dogs, people with facepaint, dogs with facepaint . . .

The floats the kids were building over at the marina appeared right on schedule. Pretty girls shivering in their Homecoming Court dresses rode atop convertibles. And all of it came at me out of the setting sun, so I have no good pictures at all.

The Elks won the Big Game, and clinched at least a share of the Lake Michigan Conference title. Satisfactory. But I was not at the game. I was walking the dogs down on the beach and finding mushrooms in the woods at dusk. I know, I know, I said I was through with mushrooms for the season, but I had to show you this one. It looks exactly like toasted marshmallows, and it’s huge.

I wanted to use the Cowboy for a scale figure but he was scared of it and ran home. I went back this morning and used the Record-Eagle for scale instead.

After all that, I figured out this was the selfsame mushroom that appeared in these pages as Mr. Potato-Head a month ago. I forget everything. In my defense, he has changed quite a bit. And grown, too. Bears watching.