Musings

The fog today was dense and lingered, and seemed like it must extend to the oceans, east and west.

I heard droplets falling from the trees for hours, and saw them festooning spiderwebs and asparagus fronds. Aesthetic.

By afternoon, the sunny, clear, and warm conditions made it seem impossible that the morning had been fog-shrouded. It became so dry that I raked leaves under the maple, and now the compost pile is so large that I have too little “green” to temper that amount of “brown.” First world problem.

Posted at 7:56 PM | Comments Off on Just wait

I went out very early this morning, before the fog burned off at all, and before the light increased beyond a hint.

That’s because last night we received a text from ATL friends that they were in Manistique! Were we nearby, they asked. Why, yes! So we arranged to meet them there for b’fast, and so it was. Since they were on a clockwise loop around Lake Michigan, from/to Chicago, we persuaded them to stop by the cottage afterward. Of course, I’d say the highlight was that we took them down to the lake/our beach before sending them on their way to cross The Bridge and head south. They’re doing 200mi/day, very civilized; that pace leaves time for exploring.

Posted at 7:05 PM | Comments Off on Serendipity: fog and vistiors

As the light increased, looming cloud-cover muted the beauty and I knew the ground fog would not appear. Yet, it was very still, no breeze, so I went to the lake before coffee (again) to see the mirror-lake.

The stillness began over a day ago, so that my new tracks and my old tracks co-existed. That is rare—that no waves erase tracks at the water’s edge in days. [You can’t see it, but the lake is just out of this image, left.]

The rest of the day I was in the cottage or doing outdoor chores nearby or in the field. The ferns by the door a fading, and I clipped some brown fronds, but left others that were merely brownING, as I often find the full pruning saddening…it means autumn and our exit is looming.

Posted at 9:49 PM | Comments Off on Enjoying the North

Before I had a chance to fire off the coffee maker, I saw the fog gathering.

I spotted this spider web and looked for more. How could there be none? Yet I saw no more.

I followed the quiet to the beach, and saw the color changing in the sky, but no fog on the water.

Come afternoon, I ventured across the road to the Hunter-Gatherer-Fisher-Farmer’s garden for a bouquet of lettuce. Opening the gate, I spotted this colony of Cladonia cristatella, so lovely with their dramatic red caps ornamenting the top bar.

Posted at 8:50 PM | 2 Comments »

I heard/read various sorts of news today, including multiple examples of the power of MaNachur, and also of spineless federal politicians spending OUR money frivolously.

In our living room, we talked more about the annual September Apple presentation. This is an Apple promo photo of the two sizes of the newly announced iPhone 15 Pro Max (larger on the left) and 15 Pro. Our phones are still fine, but venerable at four years old. I am most attracted to the Pro Max, as the Apple lens developers have managed to create, in that teensy thickness of a smart phone, a lens that will telephoto to 120 mm, at ƒ/2.8 aperture. Wow. [No comment on buying (lusting after? hah, I exaggerate) a product called a phone while valuing more an additional capability called a camera. 😎]

With the phones and with new models of watch/fitness devices, I heard reapeated mention of nits. To me nits are louse eggs, so that threw me until I figured out that nits are also brightness units, although my APPLE DICTIONARY does not include that definition. 🤣 So, the new phones have 2000 nits peak brightness (outdoors). Woohoo.

Posted at 9:28 PM | Comments Off on Nit counts

Change the light, I thought, by choosing a photo from a day or two ago. Good idea, I thought…

…for today was overcast and it tried to rain several times. When it was more temperate and I was restless, I did do a few outdoor chores, unearthing thistles by the clothesline, adding organic matter to the compost pile, downloading the update for my phone (then for the watch, they often need such attention in pairs; I do this using the neighbors’ satellite feed, so that’s the outdoor part…walking next door)—that kind of thing.

Reasonably virtuous for a slow-Sunday.

Posted at 9:54 PM | Comments Off on Human-environment interaction

Every time we have these morning fogs, I feel compelled to stand in awe of the tree line and the sky color.

This time I also looked down and enjoyed the dew on the lupine leaves.

Posted at 8:33 PM | Comments Off on Morning joy

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.

Posted at 8:45 PM | Comments Off on Natural progression

After a hot and sticky day, the temp abated enough for a sunset stroll. And what a sunset. Now all the windows are open to let some cool(er) air in the cottage, as it is finally in the low, low 70s.

Posted at 9:50 PM | Comments Off on Timing is all

Visual proof of season-changing underway…although I admit the color change was underway in August, which is far more of a headline IMHO than autumn reds in September in the Northwoods.

Also, I made mashed rutabaga tonight. First time for everything. Tasty, indeed, tastier than I thought it’d be.

Posted at 9:06 PM | Comments Off on Sample branch