hemming and hawing (mostly hemming)

A new week, and things feel more positive.  I have officially enacted a news blackout, so while Todd is pulling out his hair and groaning, "Matt Gaetz!?!?!", I remain blissfully ignorant.  I catch a bit now and then, but I'm able to see the humor...sort of ("Anti-vaxxer and -fluoride RFK in charge of the Dept. of Health and Human Services...LOL???").  Just trying to focus on other things for a while.  Like...this continued crazy warm weather.  Flowers are blooming in the garden...in mid-November!

The morning glories that I planted in pots and then stopped watering because they weren't taking off fast enough to bloom this year (I thought) are now crawling all over the front porch rails.

It's been so dry that Eagle Creek, where we love to hike, is seeing insanely low water levels...

...but a couple of light rains have been enough to rejuvenate these completely-ignored flowers.  It definitely doesn't feel like late fall!  Some trees are even leafing out with new growth.  Insane!

This means that our tomato plants continue to produce.

I picked EIGHT POUNDS last week (soap for scale)!

I finally got around to finishing some knitting projects.  I started this scarf for a friend and loved it so much that I decided to make one for myself.

I also finished a bulky-weight sweater (Carbeth by Kate Davies).  I had another "LOL...???" moment here, because it was supposed to be a cropped sweater, but it was so long.

I re-read the directions and realized that I had knitted, armpit to hem, 22 inches instead of 22 centimeters.  That's right...I was supposed to knit a little over 8 inches, not twenty-two.  But unlike an RFK-helmed Dept. of Health and Human Services ("LOL???"), this sweater can be saved.  I measured the length that I prefer (about 14 - 15"...8 is a little too cropped for me) and picked up the stitches all the way around with a spare circular needle.

I made one cut in the yarn below the line and carefully frogged the excess, knitted an inch of ribbing, and then finished the neck and armpits.  It's blocking now!  

Currently enjoying cats in sunbeams, too.

And more trail cam critters!  Lots of bobcats...

...turkeys...

...plus raccoons, possums, skunks, rabbits, and deer...many finding cozy sleeping spots in the back field.

I'm loving it.  Have a great week!  

milkweed glee

Summer is going by so quickly, which always amazes me.  But the signs are unmistakable.  Blackberries are ripening everywhere.

Flowers are starting to go to seed...to seed!  It seems so early.

bupleurum

Spring hatchlings are looking more like adults now.  This bluebird is just about ready to leave the nest...

...and these young barn swallows are practicing their low, swooping flights every late afternoon, filling the air with their exciting chirps.

Young rabbits, too, are getting more bold.

(side note: ANOTHER TICK)

Our young turkey poults are half grown now!

Our trail cams pick them up quite a bit.

The local fawn is steadier on her legs, too.

This grass-carrying wasp is preparing her nest for eggs.  They take over old insect nests (in this case, a carpenter bee hole) and stuff them with grass to make soft places for the next generation.  

Caterpillars are everywhere, eating quickly to gain mass for pupation.  Here's a black swallowtail butterfly caterpillar on my dill (another excellent reason to plant it):

And a new-to-me one on the milkweed.  These are milkweed tussock moth caterpillars.  They look destructive...

...but they serve a purpose.  Both monarch butterfly and milkweed tussock moth caterpillars rely on milkweed for their larvae, but monarchs prefer new leaves, and tussocks prefer old.  They happily co-exist. Milkweed spreads rapidly, so these tussocks ensure that they are not too widespread.  They eat a few of them, and the sap from the milkweed makes these caterpillars taste very unappealing to predators.  Win win!  

Milkweed really does provide for a vast array of insects, and they are all readying to lay eggs for next year.

red milkweed beetles

milkweed bugs

It really is a wonderful plant to have around!

Well, although we're nearing late (!) summer, there's still plenty of insects around.

cluster fly

wood nymph moth

oleander aphids

agreeable tiger moth

meadow spittlebug

There's so much to see that I've gotten into the habit of carrying my camera when I go outside.  There's only so much summer left!

Well, as seasons end, so do lives.  Borga gave her last WOOF last week.  

She had a good, long life here!  Todd is really going to miss his little companion.

Hopefully these guys will help him feel a little bit better!  It's tough to lose a pet, though.  They really do leave paw prints on your heart.  

(yes, they're on the dining room table...again.)

Have a great week!

toothless men and a turkey hen

 Is it the "cat days" of early summer?

Maybe!  The bramble flowers have dropped and fruit is setting up.

On our apple tree, too!

The brief window for peonies is here.  The windows are always open and we can smell them from the yard, and of course I bring them inside!

Todd has started his yearly ritual of getting a little exercise every few days by mowing sections of the field.  

New young pine cones are setting up for the season...

Sugar snap peas are popping...

...and speaking of "popping," my Sissinghurst poppies are starting to open!  I almost like them better as closed pods.  They remind me of a toothless old man!  So much character.  :)  The flowers themselves are so delicate and fleeting, but I enjoy the leaves and pods for weeks.

Hot days and cool nights bring amazing morning fog.

The porch spiderwebs are bejeweled...

...and morning walks are magical.

I regularly hear turkeys gobbling in the mornings, and see them sometimes, too!

Others are out scouting around, like the southern yellowjacket queen, looking for a good place to start a nest.  Not in our mulch pile, please!

Pollinators are out and about...

Lassioglossum sweat bee

tarnished plant bug

paper wasp

Future pollinators too, like this Painted Lady caterpillar, starting to pupate!  

It's an exciting time of year, one of my favorites.  I wake up early...really early.  I open the windows by 5 a.m.  The frogs sing loudly until about 5:45 a.m., and then the birds start.  Sometimes I go out on the porch.  The garden by the porch is in full bloom...

Owls are hooting in the forest and turkeys gobbling faintly in the field.  If I sit in the porch swing, the little song sparrows that live in the side garden start to sing, just a few feet away.  Claudia is rubbing against my ankles...the porch is her domain.  I feel like I'm in a Disney cartoon sometimes!

It's so peaceful here, even though this is a really busy season for us.  We're working hard now to get things done, so that in the heat of summer, we can relax.  

Have a great week!