Musings

The first outing doesn’t count, blogwise. Errands.

The second outing: a walk. I dodged raindrops for most of it (truncated), but the precip caught me about 10 min before I got to the front door. A bit damp…

…but nothing like the rain that accompanied the front that came through just as we were leaving for our dinner reservation, moving at 60mph. Whew. So, we got seated, ordered a bottle of prosecco, and immersed ourselves in chatting and laughing. Great fun.

* Credit to JPB for the riff on Dry January.

Posted at 8:12 PM | Comments Off on Moist January*

Friday snuck up on me this week. Or, I was too distracted to grasp it had arrived. Along with our flowering quince, honoring my parents and a gift from D&F. This plant is in the Rosaceae family, so the thorns are appropriate.

I took this photo when I was leaving to begin my walk. The sun was tepid. I could see a broad greyness to the NNW. Over time, the grey seeped east, and about 10 minutes before I got home I felt a few drops. But, no follow-through/still dry. Expecting a serious storm tomorrow, early evening, however.

Posted at 7:05 PM | Comments Off on Thorns!

I have tried to embrace the wide-angle mode…mostly I don’t really like the results. This one I do like, however.

And the other side of the same building, albeit from farther away. And not ultra-wide; see, less distortion.

Oh, and a daisy. An overwintering daisy. Sooo weather-tolerant, this kind. Also, not ultra.

Posted at 8:25 PM | 1 Comment »

New-to-me denizen of the neighborhood.

Last-month’s denizens still hanging around.

Flower time. Ornamental red quince?

Posted at 7:29 PM | Comments Off on [title here]

This looked better, slightly better anyway, before the computational clarification of the shadowy zones.

On the other hand, this shot would have been a total dud without computational magic.

Posted at 10:34 PM | Comments Off on Shadow patterns

Not the industrial kind—the botanic kind.

Tree-shape reflects the species and the individual’s growing conditions. This specimen, here in a park without neighbors, is broad and symmetrical…and bigger and more expansive than such oaks typically are, especially in a forest setting.

This one was almost that immense, but no more. Calling all breakdown organisms!

Without a doubt, the light was terrific today, and the sun toasty.

Even these (foliose? squamulose?) lichens were soaking it in.

Posted at 7:03 PM | Comments Off on Monday plant tour

Apologies for going on about the weather, but today’s highs and lows were about 20°F lower than yesterday’s. Didn’t have frost on the car window yesterday….

Cold snap may have played in this camellia flower drop.

Random artsy photo: close-up of rusty yardart.

Rotate ninety photo: nothing more needs to be said. [Shadow has a lumpiness because I had lifted my hoodie sweatshirt to around my neck; gives me superhero shoulders.]

Title refers to a general lack of intellectual astuteness evidenced lately on this-here blog, and hypothesizes about why.

Perhaps the warming weather trend will provide a boost? On the other hand, we already have more rain this month than the January average, and more is coming this week. Eek!

Posted at 6:42 PM | Comments Off on Circulation restricted?

What qualifies as weird weather? I’d say today did/does. There was not-rain, rain, then mostly not-rain. And wind developed. Some sunshine—this overplays it. Note the mistletoe infestation in that oak to the right. Wind continues…maybe snow-bits in the mountains overnight. Brrr.

I don’t remember looking this plant up before, probably because I thought I knew the name. But, nooooo. It’s not forsythia (which I knew it wasn’t); it’s not scotch broom (why did I think it was? ignorance!). It is winter jasmine.

Pretty sure.

Wee cow sculptures…a front-yard’s worth.

Posted at 6:09 PM | Comments Off on Windy walk

An almost bud, as in: almost open.

Honeysuckle: wide open. And smelling fine.

All oh-vah.

Posted at 8:07 PM | Comments Off on Plant world, carbon cycle?

Big Bud to Little Bud: “How you?”

Little Bud to Big Bud: “K. How you?”

🤣

Went for my walk earlier than usual, had a hunch the weather would get worse…so I ventured into sprinkles and Seattle-type mist…and accomplished my HR* goals. Can’t say I got my Vitamin D for the day, however.

🤣

* Heart rate.

Posted at 6:00 PM | Comments Off on Short play; weather