heat defeat

It's hot...really hot.  Normally, when temperatures are in the 90s, I stay inside.  But because of this girl, we are outside...so...much.

Many socialization excursions that will have to take the place of puppy training until she gets a clean bill of health from the vet.  So it's walks on campus, with so many other pups...

(adults pups are okay!)

...and lots of local hikes, where she meets lots of new people.

She loves the car!  

She's a pretty chill pup...most of the time.

Okay, so I *have* to be outside...at least I can try to enjoy some nature.

green heron eating a frog

groundhog invading our neighbors' container gardens

black tiger swallowtail caterpillar

But honestly, I have the worst attitude ever.  For some reason, summer is killing me this year.  I never like summer with the heat/humidity, the mosquitoes, the ticks...but this year it's just the worst.  I'm apathetic and lethargic.  I'm not motivated to get things done and feel almost desperate for fall.  Every time I see a sign, I celebrate. 

Changing leaves...coincidence?!?

This is a FALL webworm caterpillar!

These winter shoes really needed cleaning because it's ALMOST time to wear them again, right?  Right?!?!?

We had to have some trees trimmed because they were crowding power lines recently...

They only cut a few down.  Most of them were just trimmed closely on one side.  Bare, they look like winter trees.  

Sometimes I look at them and pretend that the leaves are falling and that soon it will be cold again.  I've got another two months to go, easy, so I'm trying to work through this summer ennui with lots of pep talks.

Summer flowers from the garden!!

Fresh fruit!!

Lazy cats in the grass!

(Claudia is doing well and will get to go outside again soon!)

Lakes, rivers, wildlife!

geese at Lake Griffy

It's helping...a little bit.  But sometimes staying positive is a full-time job.  September will be here soon! Stiff upper lip!  

And...have a great week!  

Signed, someone who is ready to live in a more moderate climate.  ;)  

Boulevard of Broken Trees

When we first moved to South Carolina, I bemoaned the fact that we didn't have nearly as much direct sunlight as I'd expected to have.  Almost two acres, and no sunny space for a garden?  But I've grown to absolutely love our trees.

Not only do they draw all sorts of interesting wildlife, but they keep the house nice and cool in the summer, providing much-needed shade.  We have a wide variety of trees, giving us all sorts of nuts and interesting seed pods in the fall and flowers in the spring.  I love the different textures in the bark, the shapes of the leaves, and the sound the wild makes in the boughs.  In short, I'm now head-over-heels in love, and can't imagine our space any other way.  

Unfortunately, that microburst a couple of weeks ago did more damage than we originally thought.  The big two-trunked poplar with the broken top must come down, the arborist said.  It's already going into shock.  Not only that, two other trees had been hit by lightning and significantly cracked.  Another tree, too, had some sort of it must come down damage that we didn't anticipate.  Four of our beautiful 100 ft plus-tall trees, all around the front and side of the house, are now in the process of being cut down.

Here are a few pictures of the 'before' (in azalea season):

It's a pretty grim scene now.

Chainsaws, every day.

They started with the big poplar.  Just one of the two trunks provided a significant amount of wood.

Unbeknownst to us, a ten-foot beehive resided in one of those limbs.  It was a rather unpleasant surprise for the man who cut it down, and our neighbors couldn't leave their house for at least a day because of the angry swarms.

After consulting the Extension Service and several local beekeepers, we learned that this hive and these bees couldn't be saved.  It's been a really tearful experience for me, with both the trees and the bees, and I know that the worst part will come when all the trees are down and I'm faced with that barren landscape.

But, life goes on around here.  The squirrels don't seem too bothered by the commotion.

Herons still squawk at the edge of the pond.

While we were away for the 4th of July, the beavers finished denuding the downed tree of bark.

I was worried that they might not come back, so I went down to the water's edge at dusk yesterday.  I climbed over the trunk, scooted down among the leaves, and waited. 

At first it was just me and the water skippers.

Augustus came out.  He's moderately cautious, so he did a few laps around the pond before climbing out of the water.  He kept a close eye on me at first.

Before long, though, he was dragging branches through the water...

...and giving them a good shake before settling in for a nice nibble.

Pepita is much more cautious.  She circled for a long time before going to Augustus for reassurance with her funny beaver grunt (heard here).  She didn't stray from his side until I left.

It's moments like these that help me through the very real grief of losing our little sanctuary in the front. 

In other news, I've been doing quite a bit of baking, but not really posting it here.  Last week I pitted two whole pounds of fresh cherries...

...to make a cobbler.  The recipe calls for less than a cup of sugar.  I thought it was not quite sweet enough, but Todd is typically cherry cobbler-averse because of the overwhelming sweetness, and he absolutely loved this.  I left out the star anise and added a big handful of oatmeal to the crumb mixture.  Also, I didn't bother to make the cookie base.  I just divided the crumb mixture in half and it was plenty for a nice bottom layer and plentiful crumb on top. 

It was a nice compromise for both of us, and it didn't last long around here!

I hope to complete a big knitting project by next week and look forward to posting pictures soon.  Have a great week! 

A Walk in the Woods

Indian summer is here, with cool nights and delightfully warm days...perfect camping weather! Last week we loaded up the kayaks and headed south to one of our favorite camping sites, Yellowwood State Park.

We drove down this little lane to reach our campsite.

Out of 70+ available camp sites, only a handful were occupied. We were completely secluded in our little corner, surrounded by beautiful trees...

...and beautiful leaves.

And then some...

...and then some...

...and then some!

The usual creatures were hanging around, like this granddaddy longlegs, otherwise known as a harvestman. Harvestmen are not actually spiders, although they are in the arachnid family. They don't possess venom or silk glands.

A wasp takes advantage of late-season flowers.

Some creatures were unseen, like the woodpecker that probably made this hole:

Or the insects that made these smaller ones:

Wildflowers nodded all around our little campground. These little purplish daisies...

...this lovely flower that had already dropped its petals...

This plant is called smartweed. I think the colors are so lovely.

This woodland plant manages to put out a bright display of color, even though it grows in the shade.

Some ferns nearby were completely white!

After a brief hike, we came back to the campsite and made a big fire.

We toasted marshmallows, made s'mores, and played Scrabble until bedtime.

I love many aspects of camping, but I'm a paranoid tent camper who'd rather sleep in the car. A howling pack of coyotes kept me up half the night, running the plot of Jack London's To Build A Fire through my head.

I managed to rally by morning (buoyed by a champion's breakfast of leftover chocolate and Garden Salsa Sun Chips), so before it got too late we headed off for a six mile hike around the lake.

The trees were beautiful in the dimness of the early morning...

This red berry-producing tree is just starting to change color for fall.

Before too long, the sun was up and the woods were beautiful.

Leaves in light are stunning!

Oaks and maples, especially, seem to glow in the light.

Beautiful!

We saw other berry bushes, too. Two different types of blue berry-producing bushes proliferated around the edges of the lake. I love the coloration on these leaves...


The lake was absolutely silent and golden in the sun shine.

We saw more beautiful leaves...

...and some really interesting fungus. Some ordinary, like this tree fungus...


...but some unusually colored ones, like this green powdery display.

Or this almost-black one.

This swollen wedges reminded me of marshmallows!

I loved the orange caps on these mushrooms.

We even saw mushroom villages!

Another exciting discovery was the presence of beavers. See the chips around the base of this fallen tree? A beaver did that.

You can check the inside of the fallen tree to see the culprit. A beaver's chisel-like teeth chip away wood until the tree falls, and then it's reduced to manageable pieces that a beaver will roll or drag into the water.

Here's a grove of trees felled by beavers. Their weathered tops show the same shape as the newly-cut trees we saw.

A beaver has just begun to nibble on this tree...

...and this tree is nearly completed! Beavers only work at night, so I'm sure someone finished the job shortly after we saw it.

The lake was completely surrounded by trees in various states of change.

More opportunity to see the beauty of nature!

I hope you're able to take advantage of the nice weather and take a walk tonight. Have a good week!