Musings

Faux.

Real.

Also real: cherry blossoms. Not in the BotGarden.

Call them confused…?

Posted at 10:39 PM | Comments Off on Botanical identification

Today was ginkgo*-leaf-dump day, based on most of the trees around here (but not all; some already let go). The wind helped (breezy wind, not scary-wind).

Note to self: it sounds like ging-ko, but it’s spelled ginkgo. The word is from a Japanese word that’s from a Chinese word. I figure the sounds have drifted from the original….

Posted at 6:45 PM | 1 Comment »

So delicate and lacy, the leaves of the Japanese maple, Acer palmatum. Not so delicate…IMHO: the spots.

Posted at 11:25 PM | Comments Off on Measle-ed maple

I thought I was leaving the house too late in the afternoon to catch much light, but I was way wrong on this corner.

Posted at 10:22 PM | Comments Off on After the first frost

We wandered off to one of the super-fine markets with international clientele and international foods this morning. To get international foods like carrots, mushrooms, and parsley. We skipped the potato leaf, but did get white potatoes.

And, late in the day, no surprise, I found shadows. I think I got my fifteen minutes of sunshine. Stretch; yawn.

Posted at 7:41 PM | Comments Off on I am a solar cat

Found this leafy birdbath today in front of the firehouse. I love the blue and the reflections on the left side especially.

This, however, is my favorite shot of the day…. I do not know why I have a soft spot for Acer palmatum. In this case, the backlighting is a striking addition.

Posted at 6:17 PM | Comments Off on SUNNNNNNY day

The recent bombings/terrorism in Paris and elsewhere has weighed on me today, not in the front of my mind, but subtly, clouding my outlook.

So, I present happy images, promotion of a comedy night and a classic, a flower, this one with a ladybug attendant.

Posted at 7:35 PM | 1 Comment »

I have heard that all the ginkgo trees let go their leaves on the same day. This tree has released only some of its leaves. Somehow, the yellow isn’t quite what I remember.

Around here, we’ve been spending a lot of time with Frahnce van-cat (not its real name). Horrible situation.

On other matters (distractions?), I have been reading about the Lilliput Effect…the theory that after catastrophic extinctions, in general, the size of vertebrates declines. For millions of years. (If you’re so inclined, read more here (paywall).)

Posted at 10:13 PM | Comments Off on The fallen

Precooked shrimp skewers as floral display….

Also unpurchased: ancho chile liqueur. (Gee, why?)

Very realistic in life, these waterlilies, but somehow the camera captured them as…impressionistic.

There’s a short story or novella in each image in this trio.

Posted at 8:17 PM | Comments Off on Story lines

I’m still thinking sunshine is a darned precious commodity…strolling in the rays this afternoon. Breezy. Which is just a bit unsettling. Still, I forged forward.

This irregular-barked tree is a frumpy (non-technical and unofficial condition) birch, and I thought it glorious backlit in this autumnal sunshine. (Yes, SOME leaves on SOME trees, as you can see, yet this is the irregular status that leaves have in this shoulder season.)

Posted at 9:19 PM | Comments Off on Arboreal silhouette