guess who's coming to dinner

 We aren't having as many days like this as the season progresses!

turkey vulture pair

It's overcast and chilly.  There are a few seed heads still hanging on in the garden...

milkweed

...a few bits of color still to be seen...

...still a few really late insect eggs, now devoid of hatchlings, decorating the screens...

leaf-footed bug eggs

...but after the leaves fall and before the snow starts, it's a pretty drab landscape, and we're staying cozy indoors.  Thankfully, there's plenty to do during this busy season, and speaking of thanks...

...we had our usual turkey feast this year with so much food that Todd has had Thanksgiving twice a day for 4 days now and still has another day or two to go!  

Claudia was concerned that we wouldn't have enough food, so she wanted to contribute...

She was so busy bragging about her big score, though, that she didn't notice that this mouse was playing possum.  While she was preening, it popped up and streaked off the porch.  Oh, well!  Claudia should be very familiar with possums and their ways...one visited her 'house' one night this week for a friendly visit, but she chased him off.

Drama!  

Other than Thanksgiving, recent bakes include some delicious pumpkin muffins...

...and a confetti layer cake with a lot of sprinkles.

I've had some time to deal with a few cat dramas, like cat-proofing their favorite cuisine, my house plants (with some bitter apple spray).  They had to inspect it...

...and then ignore it.  Maybe I'll be able to have house plants after all!  I've also tried working on the kittens vs. Calliope dynamic...

...but she remains defiant and grouchy.  They'll work it out, I guess!

Lots of sleepy kittens during these dark days.

Well, inside.  Outside, Claudia is still busy, busy, busy!

We, too, will be pretty busy over the next few weeks.  We've got Christmas prep to do with cards and decorating, birthday stuff, holiday orders increasing for our business, and then holiday travel...the New Year...a week of rest, and then a big multi-day toy show in mid-January to prep for.  I struggle mightily with the hustle-bustle of Halloween through New Years and I am always exhausted by January 1st, but at least it's a good month to be quiet and cozy by the fire to recharge.  

Bosewichte 2018

Cats get it.  ;)  

Have a great week!

Bogs, Ponds, & Dog Yawns

It may be cooling off, but we still have a few insects around!  This cluster of Niesthrea louisianica (or the scentless plant bug) cluster on a hibiscus pod. 

A leaf-footed bug heads for safer territory.

We're still seeing lots of geese...

...and ducks.

Birds are really out and about lately!

We haven't seen any herons for a while, but their shaggy nests are pretty obvious.

This weekend, when it was blustery and 40 degrees, I couldn't wait to get outside and hike.  It's been so hot for so long, and it feels like I just can't soak up enough of these cooler temperatures. 

Beautiful bogs...

...and berries.

Borga likes to hike...

...but she is pretty worn out on the way home.

Back at our house, the leaves!  The leaves!!

Our turks are back, too.  Every morning, they scurry out of the way as I'm pulling out of the driveway. I see them at night, too, picking around in the meadow.

Our kittens love the colder weather and react by moving into full hibernation mode. Unless a certain someone, annoyingly, wakes them up for a photo op.  ;) 

Have a great week! 

I Spy, Identify (Or Try...)

As I arrived home after the gym this morning, I was mentally working through my large list of things that needed to get done today.  Then I saw this really cool mushroom when I got out of the car and immediately cleared the morning so that I could take a few pictures.

I can't help it.  It's been so miserably hot and we've both been cooped up in the house for so long, so on a day when there's actually a breeze, and the temperature doesn't start with a '9' or a '1,' I have to get outside.

It was a great day to do so.  Anoles have been everywhere lately, especially the babies.  They're quite skittish, but if you watch for unexpected movement on leaves or in bushes, you can usually find a few.

I even saw one on the window ledge in my office yesterday!

I love them!  Of course, lots of moths and butterflies this time of year.  Identifying the common ones, like the tiger swallowtails, is really easy.

Or if they have distinctive coloring, like this Agraulis vanillae...

...or this red-banded hairstreak...

...identification is a breeze.  But what if they're just...brown?

I have to go by the shape of the 'snout' and the wings.  Still, the best I could do on this particular moth was guess that it was in the family Noctuidae.  

Same with this beautiful Xylophanes tersa.  Even with its unusual size and beautiful markings, doing a search for an "orange-ish moth" will not bring you an identification. 

In my mind, the most distinctive attribute was the graceful wing shape with the peek-a-boo eye.

Studying wing shape in moth pictures by family helped me to choose the correct one, and then searching within the family enabled me to make the right identification.  I really love the challenge of it!  Still, I see insects all the time that I just can't identify, like this giant mosquito-like one from this morning.

In my walkabout, I also spotted a pregnant praying mantis...

...an eastern leaf-footed bug...

...a gorgeous double-banded scoliid wasp...

...and evidence of a recently-departed cicada.

Our beautyberry bushes are laden with fully-ripe berries...

...so I decided to pick some to make a bouquet.  You have to be careful, because there are almost always stowaways!

I love these plants.

They make gorgeous bouquets!

Hopefully this cooling trend continues and I can have many more productive walks.  Have a great week!