Josie's Pet Plant

Autumn is Tip-toeing In

Waiting for Rain . . .

After several months of no rain, we were promised relief.

A cloudy morning made us hopeful.

By mid afternoon, the radar showed rain upon us.

I could see it across the river.

In a teasing twist, we saw a rainbow before the rain.

Surely those dark clouds will let loose upon us . . .

And here it comes!

Not nearly enough--but enough to wet things down.

And the forecast for today is even better.

The Overstory by Richard Powers

This is a magnificent, important, necessary book.  My book-pusher friend Marianna lent it to me and by the time I was halfway through, I realized I would want to read it again. So now I have my own copy.

The Overstory belongs to the trees--and to the various humans who are attempting to understand the myriad secrets the trees are sharing. Every root tendril, every bud, every sprout, every exhalation of gasses from a tree--all are packed with meaning and message for Earth and its creatures.

The novel--and it is a novel, not a documentary--follows the stories of eight humans, most of whom are seeking to preserve old-growth forests. The inter-connectedness of humans to one another and to the natural world is an echo of the amazing biome created in forests--and even in single trees.

Powers is lyrical in his beautiful presentation of the minutiae of the life of the forest and the trees that are its backbone. And all this information is woven magically into a compelling story that, now, more than ever, begs to be read.  As I said, a necessary book.

And if you read it, you'll never look at trees in quite the same way as you did before.

Highly, highly recommended!

Bugtussle--A Repost from Ten Years Ago

Bugtussle -- there's one in Alabama. Also Oklahoma, Kentucky, Texas, and Tennessee.

All small towns.

And there were several real bug tussles going on amid the fallen Kieffer pears in our driveway where the fermenting juice led to some drunken buggy brawls.

I'm guessing these black and white fellas are bald-faced hornets.

This solitary butterfly avoiding the boozy crowds is, I think, a Question Mark Anglewing . . .

but what the big yellow guy is, I'm not sure. Possibly the bouncer,

This blue beauty is so tattered that I can't be sure -- Pipevine Swallowtail . . . Spicebush Swallowtail?

The haggard beauty drinking alone at the end of the bar-- she's seen better days.

Go here for some amazing closeups of bees and others.

Moving Into Fall

With Josie's 'help' yesterday, I began putting away the summer blue and white stuff and bringing out my fall tchotchkes. It doesn't feel like fall but it's October, dagnabbit! 

The lower shelf of the corner cupboard has become a place for Josie's collections and such stuff of mine that she can play with.  Easier than spending lots of time tell her not to touch

She was delighted with the little gourd fairy houses I made many years ago. she also latched on to the two tiny baskets and told me she was going shopping. She came back with two little rubber animals--a red hen and a green dog--and told me they were peppers.

And, yes, there is a pumpkin but no old lady was harmed in its acquisition.

Feeling Colorless

Nothing that some rain--and 45*'s resignation or implosion wouldn't cure...

Josie and the Terrible Twos

I am Josie.

Sometimes I am oppositional.

Like when Meema said I was doing a good job using my spoon.

So I had to eat the rest of my yogurt with the little end of the spoon.

Yesterday I ate my oatmeal with my fingers.

Also, sometimes I have to yell NONONONO!

Meema calls it a tantrum if I lie on the floor and kick and say NONONO.

I don't do that very often--just when Meema is being difficult.

I also change my mind a lot.

  

I want noodles.

I don’t eat noodles.

I want yogurt.

I don’t want yogurt.

I want to go to the library.

I don’t want to go to the library.

I don’t want to go home.

I want to stay at the library.

If I fall down and yell, Meema walks away.

Then I get up and go to the car with her.

It is kind of a game.

After all, I’m not quite two and a half years old.

There’s a name for that:

Terrible twos.

Meema looked on her computer and it said that temper tantrums are a common and developmentally appropriate behavior for children under three.

It also said that after three, I will be more able to use words to express my frustration.

I am practicing those words.

There are some I should not say so I say DAGNABBIT!

Or SUGAR!

Also the computer said that when I am three, I will behave in more socially acceptable ways.

We’ll see.

Another Sunrise . . . Another Whistleblower

The Orange Embarrassment's unfitness for office--any public office--has been obvious from long before he began his rise to power.  

Now almost every day brings a new damaging revelation accompanied by a flurry of poorly spelled tweets proclaiming FAKE NEWS!

It reminds me of Watergate as the GOP circles the wagons while simultaneously each individual member is evaluating which stand to take. What will play well with the voters? Die-hard Trump loyalist or newly-principled  defender of our government?

Interesting times . . .

Josie and Another Busy Day