Musings

Two times yum

The pattern of this frond enthralled me.

We did the kind of food shopping that’s not available in the UP, and made salmon and veg. The salmon is dressed with ginger, orange and lime zest, plus black pepper.

Photo fun

I took this in portrait mode, then cranked the saturation for this post. That’s my mood after three loads of laundry (and more to go). Still, I had a fabulous day.

Preternatural plant parts

Strange flash shot of the fern bed by the back door, with the fronds mostly removed (my late afternoon chore), and the not-fronds mostly left to stand tall. I didn’t snip them because I think they are interesting and rather otherworldly.

Glowing maple

Uncle Dave’s maple is getting plenty of compliments, and deservedly so! I call it Uncle Dave’s maple because it’s a maple and he planted it.

Autumn shift

Maple.

Barberry.

Autumn commodities

Apples

All grass day…. Cut it (using The Beast). Raked it (using an old wooden rake that works much better than the current fan-shaped version). Stacked it. So much grass. Also apples.

Late-blooming tales

The too-hot is gone and the rain is gone. This is the early morning sunlight on the cardboard-walled ringfort. In the foreground are miscellaneous escapee plants, and probably weeds. In the center are many basil plants, and I’ll harvest one or two tomorrow for the appetizer I’m taking to a potluck that evening. In the background are some “wild”flowers; blooms so far are white (three types) and pink (one species). Outside to the right are rhubarb leaves.

Here are exploded lupine pods, still furry. I also found some blooming lupines in the field where I had cut the grass—and lupines—earlier.

Sunny rising

Buds rock. I could stare at this far longer than any Dutch Renaissance painting.

Natural progression

Apple rain

A week or so ago, the orchard smelled like apple juice. Now it smells like hard cider, although hours of rain and lower temps blunted the scent today.

Scattered chipmunks

I stepped outside this evening to try to figure out odd vehicle noises out on the road, and by my feet heard stampeding chipmunks…two, running like I broke up a party.

Meanwhile, here’s a tiny cucumber. The species is native to Asia, and now very widely planted and consumed.