Musings

So far

Today was a lot of removing and moving. Removing sprouting weeds, with weeds meaning The Botanist’s definition: a plant growing where you don’t want it to be, and moving pruned branches to the (potential) burn pile over by Our Field. Otherwise the pruned branches are In The Way, and that cannot be tolerated. 😎

Late in the afternoon when I was winding down with chores, I went across the street to visit with Lady Wonderful Neighbor, and we were chatting, and she gently leaned over and picked a strolling tick Off My Cheek. Yikes. Only good thing about that was it was still strolling. So, subsequently: major, serious tick-checking primate behavior. The count remains at one.

So the first paragraph story relates to the second in that some of the removing and moving involved getting into The Long Grass, which is not yet actually long because the spring is not advanced, yet: deer roam here; there may be mice/chipmunks, and thus a tick-supporting ecosystem. You get the picture.

Business density

I meant to write about this yesterday…I happened be on the same street as an AmazonPrime delivery truck. I counted nine deliveries over perhaps a third of a mile, most of that with houses on only one side. And, is it no surprise that Amazon’s upping their annual fee?

Merged realities

Predictions are a bit warmer each day this work-week. This photo is from two days ago. The flower is open now, but it was overcast today, so a less aesthetic photo opportunity.

What’s my line?

I had an out-of-focus photo of a ho-hum dan-dee-lion, and the Guru gave me this pretty, which is a FAR better choice for presentation.

Besides, I am distracted trying to learn about microglia, as I happened upon two rather different articles about them. As I pondered what I could fathom from them, I concluded that their function is super important, but what I didn’t get was the proper care and feeding of microglia.

Title doesn’t quite fit. Humor me.

Darned rodents

We decided to have take-out pizza tonight. It took the Guru extra-long to collect it. I heard why when he showed up. A squirrel (bird?) nest on a neon sign outside caught fire and a firetruck and squad of fire-folk showed up…delaying the pizza baking.

The pizza was hot and yummy. 🤨

Interesting that the nest caught fire despite rain for hours.

Saved by the beetle

I clicked this thinking I’d compose an insipid post about the difficulties of capturing the feeling of watching a cold rain fall from inside a warm place, or even just the rain in motion.

Then I spotted this ladybug/ladybird beetle toddling along the window sill, and whoa!

Maple and barberry red-oranges

I played the weather odds and walked in the morning, thinking the afternoon would have precip, as my app showed and as happened the last two days. I assumed this color on the Uncle Dave Maple I saw on my return would be the best of the day.

Wrong I was. So, with the advent of MrSun, I went out to capture a few barberry shots.

And was touched by this Sympetrum spp., a skimmer dragonfly as I understand it, also called a meadowhawk. Insect taxonomy requires extensive study of minutia that’s far beyond my knowledge base.

Yum in advance

We went across the road to greet the neighbors, and she gave us a big hug and took us through to the front deck to wave at her husband, out in the boat. On the mirror-surfaced lake. It isn’t usually this calm this late after sunrise. It was a gorgeous day all the way to dark.

I digress.

Her husband came in shortly with a big haul of four, fine, large fishes. These are the two largest. They are planning on a big small party in a week, so these will go in the freezer until then. And we are invited, so….

Sidewalk news

Seems to me that if there’s a sidewalk solar panel for buried infrastructure, we should be able to use sidewalk solar for other uses, no? Plenty of sidewalks other there, ya’know.

Found this little cherry tomato science project…kinda late in the season, but they should ripen…. After all, where’s there no frost, tomatoes are perennials. [Going and going….]

Another mystery

The other day, hmm, yesterday, I walked by here, and the cat was napping in the same spot. Today, here, in the rain, in Fred-weather.

Hope it’s not sick.