Beetles & Berries

So I was sitting here at the computer this afternoon, looking for inspiration-of-the-gardening-kind and eating a bowl of partially thawed blackberries, when I realized one of the "berries" was very hard. I thought, "hmm, must be a stem..spit it out into my hand... and shreiked! This lovely black beetle, missing a few legs, had been hiding in the berry package and then in my bowl. Now... when I bought these, I saw the American flag on the package and thought, "good." But after finding the beetle I looked more closely at the bag..."Product of...(gasp!) CHINA"?!?! Unless you like finding surprises in your food (that are not fun surprises like in the old Cracker Jax) you might want to read the labels more closely. Then again, a beetle could have crawled into just about any packaging..or, I should say, been scooped up during harvest or processing and "missed" from any packing plant. Things happen. Its "only a bug." But the fact that the package announces "Product of China"? Yeah, that makes me a bit queasy. (No it doesn't, but I'm not overly thrilled either.) Yet another good reason to GROW YOUR OWN. LOL

 

 

 

wet and not-so-wild..or maybe wild

 

 

 

 

There is current fascination with the rain due to the fact it has been an uncommon occurance in these parts for the past three years. As long as it does not discover a point of entry into my humble abode, it is welcome. (rather selfish thought on my part isn't it! Tunnel vision. egocentric. etc.)

moss

 

 

 

 

My one reader asks "Where's the moss?" Well, here's the moss my boy. Moss on the ground. Moss on some driftwood. Moss on an olive tree. Moss on a Sycamore. Granted, it isn't SEATTLE moss but then, this isn't Seattle! LOL

rain

 

 

Today has been an orange day. As in Doppler orange. The self-cleaning gutters (read; rusted out) are making "nice" for the papyrus below. The grassy area to the south has become a small lake and Twin Rivers flow from it down the driveway. It has been a long time since that has happened. Boring as it is to be stuck inside all day, I am thankful for the rain. Really, I am. I am also very glad that I made a library stop last week! Almost done with Barbara Kingsolver's "High Tide in Tucson" so will have to decide what's next; "Small Wonder", also by Barbara Kingsolver? or "Crazy ladies" by Michael Lee West? Perhaps "The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty". Now if only I could stop eating everything not bolted down...

Zebra grass plume

 

 

If only Bermuda grass were this pretty.

river walk

 

this is walking "with" my brother. (see posting below). I failed to mention that he is a dozen years older than I.
You GO Geezer!

The American River

 

I just like this picture. This is a stretch of the lower American River just downstream from the "H" Street Bridge in Sacramento. My brother and I took a little extemporaneous walk along the river this morning. We only walked a bit over a mile but it was done at his pace which is well beyond "stroll" and just under "jog". MY joints have been Grinching about that all day. He was planning on a bike ride later in the day. I took a nap. My brother will be 75 this summer. Pretty amazing fellow, my brother.

Chard and chips

 

Rainbow chard and the Chard Guard. I don't know why I continue to ignore this as food. Probably because its good for me?

 

ahh. A nice big, FREE load of ground up trees. This stuff makes wonderful mud-free pathways.

 

And somebody thinks she's Queen of the Mtn!

day late & a dollar short

 

Bloom day plus one? The red abutelon never ceases to amaze me.

 

the asters always out-do themselves, starting in October and blooming at least 6 weeks.

 

Just look at all that carotin! the rainbow chard looks delicious so why do I never eat it?

 

vines

 

 

 

Think. Think HARD before planting vines. It seemed like such a good idea at the time..one little Purple Trumpet vine and one fine leafed Pink Jasmine planted at the base of an old orchard ladder, what harm in that? Yes, it did become a lovely cascade of flowers.. for a very short time each spring. And oh how the rats loved living in it. And oh, how I worried about a 30' olive tree cum vine tangle crashing down upon the house during some winter or spring storm. Not to mention that listening to the rats play in it at night only amused the dog and the cat, not moi. So, a couple of weeks ago I asked my local tree trimming crew to add that tree to the to-do list. It was simply amazing what a little man with a little chain saw and no fear at all about climbing trees, accomplished in a short time. I wish I could afford to keep Antonio "on my payroll" for the next ten years. This afternoon I finally got most of the small tangle of vines out of the larger, interesting tangle of vines. Still must make sure that all vines have been severed. Still must dig up all the rooted portions of the vines, which at least don't seem to be very deep. Still must dig up the Vinca Major that joined in the fun. And then...and THEN..I can add compost and sun loving plants to a whole new sunny area! Yippee!!! (This is in Phoebe-Dog's yard so the deer aren't an issue)Woo-hoo!

The Gardener

 

I got the leaves off what passes for lawn and mulched the shrubbery with them. Verna,in gardener mode, promptly reversed my efforts. Perhaps she thought the leaves were too close to the plants' bases. We have a few issues, she and I, but her snail eating ability more than makes up for untidy edging. In fact, I'd love to have a couple more hens.

Misc. Fall Fotos

 

 

 

I love the mini papyrus as much as the giant papryus!
Butterflys really DO like Asclepias.(aka milkweed)
I didn't have the courage to eat this Giant Puffball even though there is (supposedly) nothing like it that is poisonous. I am such a sissy!

Bye bye Atha

 

Atha, though never as spry as Verna, really started going down hill this past week. Friday morning she went to the Great Scratching Grounds where all Good Chicken Souls go when they are done here. Bless her big heart. So now I'm in the market for another hen or two to keep Verna and Roostie company and to help them decimate the snails.

breakfast

 

fresh eggs from Verna-the-Hen and freshly harvested, fried green tomatoes from the garden. Oh My!

praying mantis

 

 

 

I was just about to cut this fine Tithonia flower for the house when something moved...