Musings

This was an hour after sunrise, and the sky portends precipitation. And, indeed, we did get some rain, enough to call it rain, but no storm, just dripping. Then, ta-dah, clearing for the rest of the day.

I recall sweet peas blooming all around the cottage, mixed in the orchard grasses. Today, only a few are left. Maybe they did better when the grasses were cut by this time? Dunno. This one’s hanging with a yellow goatsbeard gone to seed, and perhaps another that has already had its seeds blown away.

Otherwise, we had a chore-filled day I really do not want to detail. Onward.

Posted at 10:01 PM | No Comments »

I’ve been watching the development of this distinctive large plant that’s next to the trail to the compost pretty much since we arrived. I was certain I had a shot looking down at it when it was all curled together at our arrival, but: nope. This was 15 June. Deep red flowers

By 21 June, it was far more unfurled. I have no recollection of ever seeing this species before, here or elsewhere.

Here it is today, mostly shifted to developing-seed mode from flower mode.

Looking this plant up online, it’s common name is houndstongue, and it’s native to Europe and considered one of the worst invasive plants in this state. Geeze. I guess I should whack it tomorrow before the seeds are viable.

I already did some biomass management this morning, clipping the flowers off the hogweed plants in the swamp north of us about 3/4 of a mile. I didn’t have the energy to dig up the plants, which might really get rid of them, but that removal should halt new-plant generation.

Aha. Found it. This was 6 June.

Posted at 9:10 PM | No Comments »

No, this thistle isn’t that tall; I just thought I’d try an up-angle, with the sky as background. Nice cloud patterns.

Here’s the view toward sunrise, but in mid-afternoon. You can see the tint of the sand etc. in the water, churned up by the waves.

The best you can say is illuminating, although not particularly interesting.

Posted at 6:51 PM | No Comments »

Sunrise. Still humid, hence the haze.

Surprise fish at the shore. Don’t know what kind; not leech!

Illustration of growing apples and apple green, highlighted by the low morning light.

Posted at 7:30 PM | No Comments »

Today, the sun rose, as it does.

Then, my activities were hijacked by The Rhubarb Situation.

My cousin discovered that the red dots on the leaves of our rhubarb were in all likelihood a fungus, and spores…and, well, we may not be subsistence farmers, but Things Needed To Be Done. Now.

Thus, rhubarb hijacked my day. The upshot is that my rhubarb patch is picked over, and the stems processed into sauce, and the leaves (and their spores) sequestered in a gar-bag, sealed up ready for The Dump.

All good, except that isn’t what I had planned for my Friday. Not that Other Activities were more rewarding, or whatever. Just, it’s that my choices had been confiscated. Such is life.

Posted at 8:56 PM | No Comments »

The field before sun-crest.

The field after sun-crest.

Ferns in the woods.

Ferns by the cottage.

Chives, picked for tonight’s stew. [The flowers are for show; those stems are not tender enough to eat any more.]

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Fern frond.

Potentilla blooms.

Peony blossoms.

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You can look at the early sun…

…and you can turn around and see what it’s lighting up.

Here’s late-day low-angle sun backlighting a rhubarb leaf.

It’s only right to celebrate the sun on the longest day of the year.

Posted at 9:12 PM | No Comments »

Drippy-rainy morning, with pink lupines…

…and aging dandelion blossoms….

Bonus: looking back west from the point, plus the foggy far shore.

A lighter moment with milkweeds budding [already]…

And, with more light, mayflies on the cottage door. [Not shown: seagulls swooping to snap up mayflies-in-motion.

Posted at 9:07 PM | No Comments »

The morning fog thickened after I took this, but I was bizzzeeee inside, so you’ll have to imagine what a later shot would have been like.

I like that the forget-me-nots have flowers on the ends and what the botanical types describe as tulip-shaped pods that contain the seeds along the stems. Anyway, I enjoy the flowers with the pods…togetherness?

Posted at 9:18 PM | No Comments »