No Limit On Words

Hey Everybody. This is the only photo I got just now.

It turns out there's a limit to the free memory storage of a Blogger account (1024MB) and now that I know there's a limit, it makes perfect sense to me to discover that I have reached that limit, considering how many photos I have already shared here at the Midnight Garden.

I see that I can purchase additional storage space, so once I've managed that, I'll be back to the business of sharing photos and such. For now, a thousand words will have to suffice. I know. I shudder to consider which ones will spill out from my keyboard, don't you? I'll try to be discreet.

The living room painting is finished, more or less, and I'm mostly quite pleased with how it came out. I did think that the sponged-on finish coat ended up obscurring a little more of the dragonfly and crow details, so I want to touch those up a little bit. Actually, I did darken up the crow when I got home this evening, and I guess it's working better now: when I looked over at it a little while later, Badum was perched on the back of the chair, staring up at the crow in exactly the same way he does with live birds. So I think I got it right. ; )

He and I had a startling experience last night. Since we are in a seeming perpetual state of Something Was Just Painted here at the Nest, we've been sleeping with windows open for ventilation purposes...plus I always enjoy the fresh air as long as I can in the Fall. Even though it's down in the low fifties overnight, I like the windows wide open, though sometimes getting up in the night (or to turn on the coffee pot) can be a little chilly. But that's why one has monkey slippers and sweatpants, after all.

ANYWAYZ...now that the nights are cooling down, my roommate has been doing more Cat Caving...which is where, while I am reading in bed before shutting out the light at night, he comes up and digs his way down under the covers, exploring the hidden space beneath the comforter. After nosing around, he usually comes up alongside me, kneading against my side as he settles in, far enough down to be just an adorable face in the darkness down there...but overtime, he always slides his way up further, to facilitate the all-important belly rub.

Through all this, and usually when he arrives on the bed--he is a most agreeable kitty, as a rule --the Purring is going full-force...and as he gets comfier, he starts throwing some heat...and often, he'll snuggle right up into my armpit, one soft paw stretched across my chest, or sometimes reaching up to touch my cheek. He's pretty cute like that.

Ah, so there...I've set the stage for the startling experience. So there we were, snuggling in just like that. It was really quite nice and so I put my book down early and settled back to snuggle in with him and even nodded off for a little while before shutting the light out. (I'm hesitant to do that sometimes when the cat's comfy, as the light outened seems to suggest to him that I'm about to roll over and crush him, and so off he'll dash...) But then he stayed even after the light was out and it was pretty cozy...

...and then suddenly, there was this crystal clear and close...and LOUD...coyote howl. One single perfect howl, splitting the night...the sound filling every space. And before it had a chance to fade, there was a response, suddenly, of what sounded like a dozen to twenty more coyotes and in a bit of a frenzy. Either it was the public portion of some committee meeting where they all talked at once, or perhaps it was some kind of attack in the meadow/marsh behind the houses across the road. I can't be sure I didn't hear distressed birds in all the chaos.

Anyway, my gray buddy darted to the headboard, and then made the rounds of a variety of windows. I have often suspected that he came to me from a brush with a coyote or two, as he was a bit scraped up, as well as scrawny, when he came up the garden path that night. He's had a variety of reactions to the sounds of the coyotes, which sort of bear out my suspicions. It was a while before he returned to bed, to curl up against the backs of my legs and resume the purring.

It was a little unsettling for me, as well, but knowing we were pretty safe on the second floor, I could also appreciate that it was sort of cool to have some pretty intense Nature right there outside..

It was a beautiful weekend, and I'm sorry to have exceeded my limit. I've got some beautiful photos from Saturday afternoon, when I went over to Chatham to see the Budweiser Clydesdales as they paraded down Main Street to celebrate the Chatham Squire's fortieth anniversary. Here's a few photos and another account of the afternoon.

It was a wonderful, sunny afternoon, just warm enough for a day in early October. There were some lovely, late season gardens blooming along the way and so I got all kinds of great photos of those, especially some wonderful Montauk daisies, and the pansies above.

People were packing in all along Main Street, really July Fourth parade crowded. I was looking for my pal Jane amongst the masses, since I would've enjoyed spending some time with her. This was really just another act of Wishful Thinking on my part, since I hadn't actually called her ahead of time to say "hey, meet me in Chatham" or anything. Sadly, I never did see her, though I did meet a few other friends along the way. Jane, if you're reading this, ring me!

The horses were quite beautiful, really stunning creatures. However, since I only saw them as they went past, I must admit I get to see more of them in Budweiser commercials. I suspect, too, that some folks had been led down a path by the use of the word "parade" as a verb, instead of the more lengthy noun we are most of us familiar with. It really was one of those "here they come/there they are/there they go/don't step in the horsepoo!" brief experiences.

Still, I got a nice photo or two which I hope to someday share with you all. (I do regret not having captured a photo of that most famous horseshit to share with my friend Tornwordo.)

Meanwhile, I hope you all had great weekends, too, and that your week in progress is being kind. At least there's a holiday weekend to look forward to at the end of it...and plans for it are shaping up to be great fun, too: I can hardly wait.

Some Thoughts, Mostly About Paint

So far, Sleep is a fleeting visitor here at the Nest. At first, it was the unsettled nature of the Moving In...and the whole sleeping on the floor thing. But lately, even with the arrival of something soft to sleep upon, there is the combination of the bright morning light...and assorted random questions and thoughts that roost heavily on my mind, like the blackbirds in the treetops outside.

They have been gathering there a lot lately, the air full of their quiet chatter of clicks and pops and such. I've not yet gotten out the binoculars (though I did recently check to be sure they made the move with me - they have), but I believe these are mostly red-winged blackbirds, quieter at this end of the season, and possibly these gatherings are practice for the day soon when they will gather here, and abruptly head off in a southerly direction for the coming winter.

I happened to be outside last evening when they took to the air from these tree tops, in two waves...and the evening light was such that I was pretty sure that they were segregated by gender as they took flight. Interesting. Of course, that said, the two waves of birds seemed to merge into one greater cloud of birdiness as they flew toward the setting sun and the bay.

I wish I could get a photo or two of the Feline Zoomings, when they occur, so you would know that we don't refer to some kind of other activity when we speak of tearing about the apartment like cheetahs or pumas.

But anyway, here's the Furry Man enjoying some cat TV--there's a very popular bird feeder in the side yard below the window he's perched in here.



And here's a look at the morning's light yesterday, as filtered through breeze-swaying treetops and shining on the newly-painted walls of the dining room. You can see how the bright early light here almost totally washes out the color of the walls.

And I also took the photo because the unfocussed nature of it reminded me of what my vision's continued to be like out of my recently-poked right eye. I'd been continuing to visit my eye doc, who was counseling patience...but yesterday, he agreed that things had actually gotten a little worse over the weekend, and so now I've got these steroid eye drops to put in a few times a day...which seem to be helping. I just hope my one eye doesn't get all big and muscle-y and angry.


Here's Agent LaChat again, now lounging on the unmade bed(he prefers it that way), his whithering stare reminding me he is no fan of flash photography.

And meanwhile, out on the deck, the potted lantana is a continuing pleasure. I just love these red and orange and yellow flowers...and I wonder about how nice a framed photo of them might look hanging on the newly-painting kitchen walls here at the Nest.




The kitchen painting was on the schedule for last night again, with just one wall remaining. I'm glad it wasn't done, as well, as it gave me a chance to take a few more pictures of the process, because Java has questions. She's the Queen of Questions, actually; it's just one of the things I like about her.

Doc Kline told me once long ago that the only stupid questions were the ones you kept to yourself, that there's no better way to learn...so getting emails from Java with her queries actually helps me better examine my life. I sometimes hope I am asking her the right questions in reply, to offer the same benefit to her, in kind.

Yes, that's my green hand there. The sponging work is sort of messy on the hands, if a little tidier generally (once the masking of woodwork is done, I don't always need drop clothes or other protections like that.), so I like to wear a glove while I'm doing it. That also makes it easier to take a break and wander off to check emails and stuff...

Now I think Java (and perhaps others of you) were a little baffled by my previous entry, in which I spoke about the texture of sponging a solid color, and how working the paint brings out the over and under tones of the color you're working with...so I'll try to clarify here.

Here's the sort of pattern you get working with a nice big sea sponge. In this case, I'm working with a dry sponge, as it gives me a stronger texture. You can get a softer, more blended look (which works well if you are sponging over OTHER colors) if you wet the sponge first...but that can also be a little messier, since the paint gets a little goopier with the introduction of additional wetness.

The interesting thing about sponge painting is that, like working with a brush or roller, it starts out as being an additive process. For example, here we start with the Pepto pink walls and each time the sponge touches, I leave the pattern of the sponge in the dark red brick of Mexicana.


But the whole point is that eventually, I want the entire wall to be covered with that color, so that the pink is un-see-able. As I continue to touch new places on the wall, the paint is spread about...but as the pink space becomes covered and I go back to fill in the gaps...the painting process also becomes a bit subtractive, thanks to the sponge. Every time it dispenses a little paint, it also absorbs a little back...and so in some places, you get a lighter tone.

And in bit and places where you get a second coat of the color, you get darker tones. Going back and doing a second coat of sponging helps you to cover more of those lighter areas, and they become smaller, specklings in the solid color of the wall.

So while you still end up with more or less a single color on the wall, you also get a sense of the paler notes of the color (although transparent, it is a strong enough color that the real pinkiness of the under doesn't really come through...or won't once I've been back with a tiny brush or Q tip to finish the last cutting in bits...), and also some darker notes, too.

I love working with sponge treatments, because the pattern actually distracts from the imperfections of the wall you're painting, as opposed to simple brush-and-roller treatment, which lays the color out nice and smooth...a great look when you are hoping for that. The walls here at the Nest are nothing if not imperfect, which honestly, makes them a little more beautiful to me.

I think this photo to the right gives you a sense of the patterns on the sponging, though it's hard to catch with the camera. This was after the first coat of the other evening, and before I went back over it freshly last night. Now the lighter spots you see here are actually a little more muted, as they've been divided into much smaller bits of lighter tones by the second sponge coat.


I don't know if that answers questions you've had, or just brings up more. I know there was also some discussion about whether the brick red and the remaining pink pantry would play nicely together, so I've included this shot here to show you that I think, tentatively, we might be just fine.

You can see on that one pink wall there's been some spackling and I don't have the same deep pink to re-paint with...so I'll be addressing that with a paler pink and an interesting plan still in formation. Of course, you'll be the first to know what I do, when I get around to it!

And here's a shot of the kitchen from just outside the apartment, to give you a sense of the more-or-less finished product, after the last of the masking tape was pulled off this morning.

In the midst of this project, Lenny and I have also removed the nasty old stove that was here alongside the fridge, and brought in the brand new one, which is kind of exciting (due to the size of the kitchen, it's a little small for the cookie sheets I currently own, so I'll have to research smaller ones before the holiday baking season rolls around).

We're smaht enough to have a professional coming by later today to make sure the propane lines are hooked up properly and pilot lights lit right and all.

[On a somewhat related note, Patrick's recent visit has sparked a small flurry of inquiries from some of you, wondering if painting skills were a requirement for visiting the Nest...and I'm here to let you know that, No, painting is not required. You can send me your CVs, resumes, bios and so on, in an email, which will no doubt enlighten me as to what actual home-building skills you CAN bring to the Nest...and then we can talk. Of course, if your name's Carter Oosterhouse, you can come right over. ; ) ]

Despite assorted rainstorms we've had lately, the pond here hasn't recovered much. The back, deeper two-thirds of the pond are still pretty wet, but this front end seems to dry a little more all the time.

The ducks who've returned for the winter must be a little disappointed, between low water levels and the lack of supplementary feed we used to supply that they seem to float-in-waiting for, just offshore.



It occurs to me that in just a week or two, my daily commute will no longer take me along Bridge Road where it passes through Boat Meadow Creek, so I thought I'd share a few more glimpses of this lovely part of Eastham.



Tide was creeping in as I captured these shots mid- afternoon (after a late night concert, I was none too early to arrive at work today.).

November Morning

I was up earlier than usual, with the garden project on my mind. A check of the weather forecast revealed that Thursday - my next potentially full day to work on the digging, etc. - was going to be a very rainy one. Ugh.

Knowing the work I was hoping to accomplish before Sunday(the proposed planting day), I quickly adapted my schedule and came up with a few hours to dig this morning. It was a very foggy morning, as you can see from the above image of the backyard and also in this glimpse of Route 6 and the fog-shrounded sun.


I arrived at Not Wisteria Lane to find a lovely morning in progress, as the fog burned away and temperatures rose into the 50s.



I was able to finish off the de-sodding and rock laying across the front of the bed, which was the priority. It's always a good idea to get that curbside face looking nice, so you can work behind that on the rest.

I'm pleased with how it's turned out, with a nice, relatively straight line across. I suppose it's a little boring, but practicality is a concern, too, in keeping the nice parking area in front of that. Behind the fence the lines curl a little more and the bed will be deeper in places.


It was turning into an absolutely gorgeous day and I would happily have stayed the rest of the afternoon to continue the project, the birds singing me on. Other things beckoned, though: a quick side trip to Hyannis and then the afternoon and evening at work.

But I did get a start behind the fence clearing out around this rose. It has flashes of pink deep on its leaves, so I suspect that might be the bloom color. Summer will tell that tale and by then it will have plenty of company.

Under the eastern bedroom window is a bit of a tangle of shrubs grown together. This dark berried beauty has some lovely autumn color, though it seems to be woven with an oak seedling.


I know you really want to see actual flowers, so look at these pretty purple asters still blooming across the front of the house.




Here's a project for another day: the backyard. Yes, that's an apple tree growing out of that small mountain. The mountain? Oh, that's the above-ground septic system. They seem to be very popular in the neighborhood (our small mountain is not unique to our yard), I expect because of the proximity to the ocean.

The fall foliage along the Midcape Highway seems especially lovely this morning. The oak trees are turning a delightful shade of coppery-red. Maybe I haven't noticed them on just the right day before, but I think their colors are a little richer this year.

Storm Warning

And so we receive the "surprise" news that a hurricane is headed in our general direction ...now that November has arrived!

But global warming's still a myth, right?

I'd been hearing some of the details about Tropical Storm Noel rampage in the south as background to the last few busy days, but wasn't really thinking about it coming this way...which it is.

The TV forecasters say it will ride by to our east and that we shouldn't feel too much from it...but they are in Boston, and aren't always sensitive to our details...and even passing by us, it sounds like we have all the fun of a nor'easter to look forward to, with possible gusts of 50-60 MPH or better, and as much as four inches of rain tomorrow.

As you can see from this morning's photos of the still-shrinking pond, we'll have plenty of room for the rain.

I did take advantage of the nice morning to gather up all the plants-a-potted and shelter them close together, with some big stones around them to hopefully keep them in place against the wind.

Also tried to generally secure some things in the yard against whatever will come, and we'll keep our fingers crossed!

All Hallows Eve

Indian Summer Cosmos

We've had another weekend of unseason ably warm and lovely weather and that's just the kind of thing to encourage the cosmos to continue blooming.

I'm taking advantage of that weather to accomplish some other things in the garden (more about that shortly), but in the meantime: enjoy the Cosmos!!

It's a windy night tonight, steadily windy, with the occasional strong gust. You can hear the treetops rustling, dancing with one another in the dark. Wooden windchimes >bonk< against one another outside the living room porch and tree bells ring on the other side of the house. Acorns and smaller branches occasionally batter against the roof.

It's 68 degrees, so it's a nice warm wind, though. It feels good blowing in my hair when I stand or sit near the open window. There's power in the air, you can feel it. And the evidence to back up that feeling was found in the large tree limb I saw fallen on the road just up the street on my way home.

There's an official wind advisory posted, warning us that such winds could cause damage, but are expected to begin falling off around 2:00 a.m., as the cool front moves in.

Along with the wind, we're getting occasional bursts of rain, with a light spattering on most of the breezes in between. The pond and the ducks and the gardens will certainly benefit, since the rain is supposed to continue through the earlier half of the day.

After posting my wry little comment about the fall foliage of the poison ivy, I realized that there are some other bursts of autumn color on our predominantly brown and green landscape...and so I've tried to share a few more of those with you tonight.

The strangest of which is this orangey-pink fungi I found growing on a tree stump outside the kitchen door.

An Autumn Garden

Beautiful day today, even if the temperature is hovering in the low 50s. It was downright chilly tonight, as we had some pretty gusty breezes sweep over us after the day's rain.

I did some garden work this morning, beginning the business of dismantling. The rocks are the biggest deal, so I'm starting with those and have gotten four or five wheelbarrow loads of those carted up toward the driveway. With a nice assortment of blooms still going strong, it makes the work a little bittersweet.

There's a thinner quality to the October sunlight, especially with the cooler temperatures, but that does make the work a little easier. And the light's great for photos, too!

I liked this particular convergence of blooms. There's a nice pink cosmos front and center (sort of), with white boltonia down below, and a happy cluster of helianthus in the background.