My Favorite Tree

This is another Sunday Evening Sky shot, but one that I felt warranted its own entry because of this tree. I so love this tree, which I have yet to identify. It has the most beautiful, slender, sort of wavy branches, which is more evident when it's losing its leaves in the fall, and most evident in winter when it's bare. Look forward to seeing its long, many tree-fingers sometime in the next few weeks as more leaves drop off.

Sunday Evening Sky

It's been uncomfortably muggy all weekend. There is a cold front supposed to arrive tonight and already one can feel a wee nip in the air and see the change coming in the sky, which was gorgeous this evening.

Is It a Sculpture if One Did Not Actually Sculpt It?

Or, Bird

But I did (finally) wire it and weight it and hang it. I found this piece of wood many weeks ago down the hill on a walk. I call it "Bird."

In the Cabin

I have had a very busy week and have been sort of half-sick all week, as well, so that combined with getting home very late each night has prevented me from photographing anything, much less blogging about anything. I'll try to get back in shape this week—feeling better will help a lot.

In the meantime, here are photos from IN the cabin. I just hung the new curtain I got for the bathroom. The one window in our house that is in direct and close view from any house is of course the one that is over the tub. I LOVE this curtain and it is so very cabiny, as well! It fits right in. It's by Tord Boontje.

Mailboxes Part II

Not much going on here other than regretting my haste in 1) assuming it was angry teenage punks, and 2) not considering that they are perhaps, rather, disenfranchised youth, or 3) perhaps not youths at all, or 4) full of deep-seated early-age trauma involving mailboxes somehow. Who knows? I do end up thinking that it's someone of whatever age with either too much anger, angst, and/or time on their hands.

Our Mailbox is Vandalized!!!

Ours and the other 10 or so that share the roadside. At first I thought a car had run into them, but Hugh pointed out that the damage must have been done by someone whacking them individually with something heavy—crowbar, sledgehammer, what have you. One was pushed over; it probably got less damage than most, as did ours, in fact. At least the door of ours is still attached, though you can't actually close it anymore.

It happened Thanksgiving night; we found them like this when we walked down for the mail Friday morning.

I saw one around the corner, down the next road, that had also been tipped over.

Punks!

F***ed up and/or angry teens!

The Winter Sky

It's rained a lot this holiday weekend and it's been down in the 30s and 40s; very nice fire weather!

The Birds of Winter

One of our cardinal pairs. They are both very shy, but she is especially so.


These birds show up each year around this time; I am pretty sure that they are chipping sparrows.


This bird, too, appears around this time. I think it's a goldfinch in its winter outfit.

It's very gray around here lately. But I guess part of the dullness of these photos is that they're taken through our not very clean bathroom window.

Woodie and Woodina at the Feeder

Woodie and Woodina both came to the feeder today. Not at exactly the same moment, but I would say together. It's interesting that some, but not all, of the woodpeckers figure out the feeders; it's the same with the hummingbird feeders. This year there were no woodpeckers hanging precariously from the teeny hummingbird feeder rungs, but in years past, there have been many.


Now, an examination of the head spots. My goal is to begin identifying each bird by its unique markings so we can figure out if we have the same birds coming back each year or not.


Crappy shot through dirty glass, this one is, but it shows the irregularity of his red cap.


I will be back later after I have looked through older photos to find some other head shots.

A Bit of Color at the End of the Day

At the Woodpile

THE FLY!

Fungi

The left-hand fungus close up

Insect tracks in wood

Pretty white fuzzy fungi

A Praying Mantis Egg Case

I am fairly certain this is a praying mantis egg case, though it is larger and sort of rounder than the few I have seen before (which number perhaps 2). Once again, that is my little finger there for scale (where is my penny??).

Very Gray Indeed, and Webby

Last night we had a fire, even though some people thought it a wee bit warm for one, but I felt miserably ill and the fire was very comforting. It was rainy and chilly enough for me, anyway. This morning the chill has gone and it's just muggy and still. I hope that is a sign of more rain to come.

I came across this web on the hillside while raven-tracking. This year there were dozens of these; they were everywhere on our land and by the roadsides on the way into town. When you're driving by and the sun hits them, you think at first that there is trash until you realize what they really are. There are fewer of them now that fall is (supposedly) here.

No Ravens. One Buzzard.

I was lured out into this gray morning when Hugh heard the ravens calling. I went out back and up the hill, hearing but not seeing them, and then they went away. This solitary buzzard was circling the hill.

Horse Acorns, Part II

I have identified the horse acorns as bur (also sometimes spelled burr) oak acorns. The bur oak is a member of the white oak family. I have also learned acorns are edible but you must leach out the tannin from them first. I am tempted...

More Things on Leaves

That is the fingernail of my left-hand little finger, which is about 5/16" wide (I don't know that offhand; I measured it just now).

Horse Acorns

Or, Everything's Bigger In Texas


I have never before seen the like of these giant acorns. I found them under what is clearly an oak tree in the parking lot of what used to be Westgate Mall, whatever they call it now, in front of the south Hyde Park Bar & Grill. What are they?

Fifteen It Is (2007 Scorpion Count)

I believe that the "I Don't Know the Meaning of Aaaaghhhh" scorpion was the last sighting before the November Scorpion, so that makes the latter #15. I also forgot to add that it was found in the wee hours of Sunday 11/11—say, around 4 a.m.—in the bedroom. Loretta the cat was sitting beside the bed staring over at the door. This is not the first time I've found a scorpion because a cat led me to it.

Things on Leaves

I know these appear to be all the same, but really, if you zoom in on each, a different Thing is (or Things are) in focus in each photo.