Meadow maze

From now until late August the most dominant vegetation in the greenbelts of the ridge is the wild grass. Our interlocking trails are overrun now with a variety that averages seven feet in places, thick enough to obscure the hardiest and energetic of Border Collies that venture off trail and into its cover.

A week and a half ago a stalk lashed out at my face during a hike on a windy day, resulting in a trip to the emergency room after I came home looking like Rocky Balboa, left eye swollen and inflamed. No torn cornea, but it took three days for the swelling and inflamation to go down.

  
So I've got a healthy respect for tall grass now, and the kid doesn't seem to mind getting lost in it - always coming out the other side, somewhere. It's still remarkable that in a month or so these meadow quills will be knee-high before the first leaves fall.