Beautiful Ohio

A view to be thankful for.

We are en route to Bill and Louise's farm for Rick's side of the family's Thanksgiving celebration. It's always a good day when we get to go to the farm. It's a double-whammy of good when it's a holiday at the farm.

 

Brrrrrrrrr!

We had an overnight visitor. Call him "Jack".

When I let Cleopatra outside this morning, I hadn't the foresight to slip on socks before I snuggled into my slippers. It would seem, however, that my running-onto-the-porch-in-just-slippers-days may be nearing an end. See the next picture:





If this car were parked on a new car lot, one could imagine this white substance was the protective wrap that keeps the finish from scratching or succombing to the evils of acid rain.

This car is not on a new car lot.

This picture was taken in my back yard, on my driveway. That's frost.

>sigh<

That's nature. That's astronomy. That's what happens as the earth tilts away from the sun.

'K. I'll adjust.

More coffee, please!

 

Seriously. Think hard about this, and think about the misguided values this person embodies.

Again: consider this woman's values. Consider that she is teaching her children these values. Then consider what you would think if you heard the average child in Kindergarten saying "Oh, we don't really need the polar bears. They don't matter."

That's not a stretch. It's just rephrasing the issue.

I don't want this woman anywhere near my White House.

 

Funny thing seen at Boston Mills ...

Funny thing seen at Boston Mills ...
Originally uploaded by sunspotting.

...while picking up Rick's race packet.

Did I mention how proud I am of my husband for running the Towpath Marathon tomorrow?

No Exit

The race is over and we would like to go home. We'd even heed the sign, but it's hard to return when one cannot leave.

Camp Manatoc is so scenic, we didn't mind that we had to backtrack to leave!

Organic Detritis Becomes Jewels Afloat

Organic Detritis Becomes Jewels Afloat
Originally uploaded by sunspotting.

Interesting and irresistable, these non-edibles float kaleidescope-like in a cup on the picnic table.

What took my neice and her cousin ages to collect was but a moment's fling to return it to the earth.

 

Tracery from Days Past

It's a bit cooler than usual for 08.08.08, but DEFINITELY HOT compared to the day I took this.

I like to revisit these images on days like today. I never want to take for granted how comfortable I am *right now*, temperature-wise.

I appreciate the delicate beauty of days like the one pictured, and I know it's no joke when snow is called 'the poor man's fertilizer'. My gargantuan tomatoes ripening in the backyard bear powerful testimony to that!

Lurking Leafpeeper

Awesome bug (literally, a True Bug)in Mike's magnolia tree. It's a big Hemipteran, almost an inch long.

Hot weather produces great beauty.

Milkweed (Asclepias spp.) with milkweed bug (family Hemiptera, Oncopeltus fasciatus. Beautiful!

Dipteran on My Window

Cranefly. That it's related to a mosquito is not hard to imagine. Directly related to a housefly? That's a wee bit more of a stretch. The key is in the wings, though.

Isn't it AWESOME???

flowers for our 1st wedding anniversary

Just the way I like them, too: still in the ground and growing.

 

Hemiptera ROCKS!

It's a milkweed bug! My husband always thinks of me. What an awesome guy!

It was a very interesting day. Many expected to see the families of groundhogs that had made homes in this shed over the years, but they were no-shows. Rodentia was well represented instead, however, by several field mice who ran from the shed to the burn-pile!! (The burn pile was not put into action that evening.) There was a bat (little, but whether brown or black no one took the time to ascertain) in the shed. It had been 'playing possum' for at least an hour before it took off for the trees. I saw several species of spider (wolf, orb weavers, jumping, 'daddy longlegs', others), so many types of beetle (deathwatch, several ladybirds, 3 types of longhorn, 2 types or 2 sexes (I didn't have time to look closely) of click, lightning 'bug', a couple others), and a cricket.

Then (hours later, and to my complete delight) I saw a little brown bat at the gas station, hunting for food which was attracted by the lights, when we made a fuel stop on our way home. What a rich day!!

 

Erosion Boulder at Lake Erie

Witness the mighty power of hot and cold! This is erosion at its most dramatic.

Enjoying the Day!

Nice. Taking the dogs for a walk by the lake.

Spider Saga 1: Arachne's Handmaiden

Ok.

(deep breath)

That's a spider inside that nebulous blob.

It's lovely and breezey outside, and who's going to waste a day like this, with a patio like what my amazing and talented husband has built?

I took my knitting outside and opened the umbrella. I noticed the white blob, but didn't worry about it until it started moving. *That* was when I realized there was a spider still in it!

Spider Saga 2: Arachne's Handmaiden

Yikes. Yep, it's moving. And when the sun comes out, you can *really* see the creature.

Oh, there's no doubt about her identity: she's a jumping spider, which is Family Salticidae.

Spider Saga 3: Arachne's Handmaiden

Ugh.

Another action shot.

Spider Saga 4: Arachne's Handmaiden

It's OUT!

*yoga breathing*

Everything is already ok. We can share this space.

Spider Saga 5: Arachne's Handmaiden

I think she's laying eggs!

It's also getting windier, and she keeps going in and out of the nest. It's interesting to watch her tinker about the nest.

I guess I've decided I won't be evicting her. That's so contrary to my gut, but we've bonded now. Shared a cup of tea.

Also, this is her territory. Inside, I think I might still have different feelings. When I teach children about nature, I make it clear that we are guests when we step outside.

Besides, I'm a weaver. We're supposed to be kindred spirits (or something) (whatever; I'm a naturalist *and* an artist). I'm really trying hard to get over my phobia by confronting my fear 'Bene Geserit'-style: "I must not fear. Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little death that brings total obliteration. I will face my fear..." from Dune, by Frank Herbert.

I'm not running screaming, but I haven't picked up my knitting, either.

Normally I'm not wild about pink, but...

...there always has to be an exception! These are the first hollyhocks of the season. In *our* yard, at least. I've seen them blooming in other people's gardens for about 2 weeks now, and I am delighted to have some blooms in mine!

The next bloom will be black, my favorite. It's extraordinary.