back attack

 Some exciting discoveries lately!  Some RED LEAVES.  

 

And RED BERRIES.  That's right...a few things are showing signs of the season!

spicebush

A snake shed its skin on our walking path...

...and one made its way through our yard.

Some mealybugs...sap-suckers...were found on our front hydrangea.  They were easy enough to wipe off.

A turkey vulture swooped down while I was driving and clawed the top of my car!  

He was fine -  I saw him hanging around when I drove back through the woods a few hours later.  I'm sure it was the same one...he glared and drew a talon across his throat in a very unmistakable way!  I think I disturbed his hunting.  ;)

Weather has finally turned reliably sunny, but hot.

Early morning walks are still okay - muggy, but not unbearable like some summers.

Pepita is still grumpily slipping her harness.

Some other signs of a waning season...acorns!!

And my favorite...caterpillars!  I love them so much and I look forward to "caterpillar season" every year.  So far this season, the old standbys are present and accounted for.  

fall webworms

sycamore tussock moth caterpillar

butternut woollyworms

And a really, really exciting discovery...a black-waved flannel moth caterpillar!!!

They are fairly rare in Indiana and the most venomous caterpillar in the United States.  Their sting has been compared to breaking a bone or the feeling of a hot coal being pressed against your skin.  I was very careful with him!

I mostly bring my cell phone on walks.  It's lightweight and the photos are "good enough," although it's frequently hard to focus on smaller things (like caterpillars).  But even at home with my good camera, I've struggled a bit.  My "newish" camera is so different from my last camera and requires so much more input.  I'll think that I'm getting great shots and everything looks fine on the small screen, but once I upload the photos, they're muddy.  I was hoping to get some really great shots of another venomous caterpillar, the saddleback, recently.  Not quite as crisp as I was hoping.

Those spines are both venom-tipped and hollow, so more venom can be pumped out if necessary.

Though not as painful as the black-waved flannel moth caterpillar, you'd still want to steer clear of this guy!

More quality time with the cats...

a rare lap visit from the Barnacle

...and Pepita this week.

groaning dramatically over a dropped toy

staring through the cat opening on the mud room door so she could keep a close eye on my clothes-sorting project in the garage.  She's not allowed through that opening and she knows it, but she still wants me to know that she's policing me, who is probably allowed in the garage, and the cats, who probably aren't

begging for attention 

I even finished another puzzle!

"Cats of Mykonos"

Somehow the garden is still producing flowers with zero attention from me.

I've been constrained this month with a back issue, which I let go for three weeks before seeing a doctor.  I've now had a ton of tests and x-rays.  It's not gallstones, kidney stones, or a fractured vertebrae (doctor's guess).  Just a deep ache in the very center of my back which leaves me unable to stay sitting down for more than about 20 minutes.  Thankfully, I can lay down without trouble and can walk/move around without more than a little pain and stiffness.  Next is probably an MRI and physical therapy - it could be a very, very deep and sore/twisted muscle, or maybe a herniated disc.  I've struggled with a tight back for years and I guess my daily yoga just isn't cutting it any more!  We'll see what happens.  Until then, I will just keep plugging along.  More than ever, I'm thankful to work from home, where I can take regular breaks to lay down on a heated pad...with the usual company.

Summer's not over yet...even "the old lady" (Claudia) is getting out for some fresh air from time to time!

There's still a lot more to explore before cold weather hits.  Hopefully my back will cooperate and I'll be out and about a bit more soon!