Marking time
Saturday, 17 September 2022
I’m calling this Raggedy Susan. Not a doll.
Raggedy is symbolic of what is happening to summer here right now. Still very pleasant, and, also, this is the time of the summer when the mosquitos are absent—yay!
Musings
Italian prune plums
Friday, 16 September 2022
The weather predictions had me worried that precip might drift in as we attended a potluck at the next lake south of us. It was windy, yes, enough to blow the smoke of the fire here and there, but no rain. I’m guessing these came from a tree at the contributor’s place, but I neglected to ask. Took my back to my childhood. We put up quarts of these and also froze halves by the pound from our tree. These had that golden almost crystalline tender sweetness. Best plums, consistently, and yet rarely in the store.
Moist and cooler
Monday, 12 September 2022
When I looked at the forecast for today yesterday, and even this morning, I thought it would be rainy all day. Actually, it was overcast and wet, and there was rain, but much of the day was without.
Anyway, we’re in the autumn mushroom season—which does not include morels or boletus, which I would eat, but I don’t know if this kind is edible, so I photoed and left it for turtles or whatever non-humans might dine on it.
Fall color
Sunday, 11 September 2022
The blush is rising on the apples. And they’re getting sweeter.
The lupine pods have gone grey and exploded, dispersing their seeds.
Not all fall color is leaves.
What to do
Sunday, 4 September 2022
Here’s the north side of the roof of the playhouse, replete with moss infestation. There is no, repeat no, moss on the south side. Trying to decide whether I should sweep away all moss colonies, as I have done previously. Is it bad for “roof-i-ness,” or should I respect the moss life-force?
Good gardening
Wednesday, 31 August 2022
These are the stems (ahem, petioles) of the successful transplants from last year’s relocation of most of the rhubarb crowns. They’re a wee forest now, so much more vigorous and healthy than before. And so tempting to pick a few stems and make some sauce. However, I’m following received wisdom and resisting picking to permit the plants another year to recover.
Drip drop
Tuesday, 30 August 2022
The rain barrel collects drips for hours and hours after precipitation stops, which makes such enticing patterns.
Other drops in other places look like gems, here decorating barberry leaves.
Portions of the seasons
Friday, 26 August 2022
With our early spring and late summer timings of our visits, we caught the beginning of lilacs and lupines, and the end of the sweet peas. And apple season! We had our first of the year last night, and it was sweet and fine (albeit slightly mealy, but it was a mealy kind that I forget the name of). No insects, either! Yay.
Visual complexities in my day
Wednesday, 24 August 2022
It, indeed, was a foggy morn, but there was more than that going on. Here’s the earliest light. Just magical. My eye found more pink in the sky than this shows. If you like pink.
This was at the beach mid- to late-afternoon. I think this is a native mint/mint family. Love the flower-collar at the leaf junctions. [Kindly substitute the botanical terms, if you know/care about them.]
Solidago souls
Tuesday, 23 August 2022
Clear, warm, and somewhat humid. Still, we did about eighty minutes of hard work this morning before the sun’s intensity ramped up—mostly cutting and vanquishing grass and weeds.
That’s the cycle of life around here. It’s either too cold for plants to flourish (or grow at all), or we’re in the brief period when it’s warm enough, and they grow with great urgency to make it through the growth cycle and produce seeds before freezing weather repeats.
This goldenrod (probably Solidago canadensis) is late to the blooming game, yet I know it’ll manage to be reproductively successful before the first killing frost.