words change everything

I don't spend a lot of time on Twitter, but for about a year now it has been a very useful source of up-to-date information, and has provided a few good laughs as well.

Every now and then, a tweet really makes me think, or see something in a new way. I love that.


Today this popped up:

The tarantula is usually an elusive spider, but the males wander the foothills in the fall looking for mates.... http://t.co/XbTaM9iQ7A
— Sequoia & Kings Park (@SequoiaKingsNPS) October 17, 2013

Not the kind of image that usually comes to mind when I think of tarantulas.

Wandering the foothills in the fall, looking for mates.

I think it's the "wander the foothills" phrase. Those low, gentle hills, rising toward the mountains. From a tarantula-viewpoint, the foothills themselves must loom as high as mountains.

The rustle of drying underbrush and the clear golden autumn air.

I can see it, I can feel it.

I can relate.

Well done, National Park Service tweet-composer. You have changed my view of tarantulas. And in a good way.

Thank you! @QuinnPiper

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just a short one

Yesterday morning started out sunny, with clear blue skies. 

But, when Piper and I were on our way to the Farmers' Market, the sky turned grey. Thinking it might rain, I decided to stop for a short walk right away, so Piper wouldn't miss out if it was pouring by the time we were through with our errand.

I encouraged Piper to run on ahead, while I took a few pictures.
In the gloom. And the murk.
In the gloomy murk.
And the cold.
The temperature must have dropped five degrees in five minutes.
Which would have been fine if I had thought to bring a coat.

Piper did not notice. She was having a splendid time! 

It had to be a short walk, because I had arranged to meet the man from the apiary to pick up my winter supply of honey. It would be my only chance - the local weekly markets are all packing it in.

At the Market, every single person I spoke with mentioned how nice and warm and sunny it had been earlier. They said this with their chins tucked into their collars, hunched into their jackets, hands in pockets.

I was not wearing a jacket, but I was hunched a bit, too, and didn't linger.

How odd is it, that none of us was prepared for a sudden drop in temperature on a day on mid-October? It makes no sense at all. Unless possibly...could it be...I am not the only one who is wincing a bit at the thought of winter? And kind of looking at it sideways?

Brrrrrrrr.

Oh yes. Winter is coming, alright. Just look at this little fern.

Two weeks ago it was the color of the darkest glossy leaves that surround it.
Now it is a pale ghost of its vibrant, verdant self.

I know the feeling, little fern.

Not Piper, though!

The rain held off long enough for us to stop in the woods a second time on our way home. And Piper had loads of fun all over again!

Keep that enthusiasm coming, Piper! I need the inspiration.

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pattypan reprise

One late little pattypan squash recently appeared, glowing like a beacon amidst the thinning foliage of the fading squash plants. I waited for a few days, but with plant-eating bugs still attacking the neighboring cabbage and cauliflower and potato plants, it seemed risky to delay harvesting the little squash any longer.

And I picked a few beans and lemon cucumbers, too.

This picture really shows why they are called "greasy beans"!

A few weeks ago I decided to let the last few pole beans dry on the vine, then gather them for for shelling as the last part of the experiment. But to my surprise, the plants continued to produce, yielding more beans at the end of the season than they did earlier. Maybe I should check the packet and my planting notes.

I don't know if these little lemon cucumbers are ripe, but I was told to pick them before they turn yellow. And they do smell lovely! So we'll see.

Did you have a garden this year? Are you still harvesting vegetables, or have you already put the garden to bed for winter?

And who is just planting their gardens, in the southern hemisphere or parts more tropical than Massachusetts? Links to your bloggy garden pictures very welcome  :)

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wordless wednesday

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sky candy

It poured all night long, and has been raining off and on all day. So here are two pictures taken earlier this week, adding some cheery color to this gloomy day.

I hope you are having your favorite kind of weather, wherever you are!

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