Season Heading South

The boltonia and asters are on the same schedule (and I suspect, must be rather closely related). This year I gave the boltonia, usually very floppy, a good pruning, which has created these waves of tiny blossoms which have o'ertaken nearly all else in the garden bed.

I was happy to spot this honeybee flying from blossom to blossom (and you can't turn that around!)this morning.


I couldn't help but wonder what these two were thinking, as they sat so close side-by-side.

I was about to leave for work when I heard this great sound. It's hard to describe really. But imagine lots of flapping wings and the assorted chatter of nearly all varieties of blackbird, and then fold in a rain-like sound of hundreds of acorns being harvested and dropping through the woods. It was quite a lot like the more thrilling scenes of "The Birds", sound-wise.

You see, it's not only Columbus Day, but also a peak weekend for southern migration. The treetops were full of grackels and cowbirds and other assorted blackbirds, feasting on a break from their travels.

And how thrilled they must be to have such lovely weather for their travels. Fortunately, their schedule is obviously dictated by something other than temperature, since we were enjoying yet another unseasonally summer-like day, with temps in the 70s.

Tonight, I'm offering my congratulations and best wishes to Shannon and Jonathan, who'll be getting married tomorrow and tonight hosted their Rehearsal Dinner at our work. I wish I'd been able to capture a better shot of the pumpkin someone carved for their autumn celebration...but even this one shows you the detail of the carving. Beauty, eh?

Sunday's Garden

There's nothing like September to make you neglect a garden. Most of the "big ticket" flowers have bloomed already, so there isn't that daily wonder of mid-summer, when something new blooms every day. There's more to attend to at work, and as the days of summer fade, there's an imperative to hurry up and relax before the days shrink down to nothing and the nice temperatures fade away. And that doesn't even take into account those eternal pleasures of laundry and housework.

Today was not one of those cool fall days, though: we had temperatures climbing through the seventies and some beautiful sunshine. Here's the few blossoms I did happen upon in the back garden, like this cosmos...and these pink snapdragons.


In another part of the garden, the foxglove of spring make an autumn return, while everywhere, clouds of purple and white asters are unfurling tiny petals.

As I returned from the garden, a wee chipmunk ran behind a board at the back of the house, and then performed some sort of balancing maneuver to run up the inside to get a better look at me.

Leapin' Lizards

September Sunshine

As the calendar page turned, the rain clouds slipped off shore and it was a beautiful day.

On plastic pond shores, frogs basked.

The late-seeded cosmos are coming into bloom, like this pale pink one.

And the morning glories, finally begun, continue their daily show.

A reminder of the sliding season, the Autumn Joy sedum began its pale blooming today.

Temperatures were cooler today, in the mid-sixties. But the sunshine was still warm enough for a little sunbathing, as this dragonfly will attest.

Birds, Bees, Turtles and Frogs

This little purple finch (right) has set its sights on the front of our house. A few days ago, it tried unsuc cessfully to build a nest in the light fixture over our front door.

As an option, Owen hung a ceramic bird nest nearby, in hopes it will consider this alternative. We'll see what happens, but the finch's interest hasn't waned.

I'm not sure of the identity of that higher bird, to the left.

In the same neighborhood, a female cardinal (the same one that's tried to build in the andromeda bush the last two springs, perhaps) has taken to hanging out in the lower evergreen shrub next to the andromeda...which would be fine, if she could learn to be less skittish about our comings and goings. I always feel so bad for disturbing her.
* * *

Another beautiful Cape Cod day here, nice and sunny and relatively warm, though it's cooled off again now that it's dark.

That oriole I've been hearing has been making himself more visible, singing around from tree to tree around the whole yard, but particularly, it seems, in the trees around the fringe of the back garden.

The apple tree is beginning to blossom this weekend, and you can see the bumblers have wasted no time in planning their visits.


Had another good day of work out there today. I planted a pair of small marigold patches, and then planted some seeds (alyssum, cosmos and bachelor buttons) and a few more of the gladiolas.

I got more weeding done in one of the beds further out in my arrangements, and was happy to discover most of the tree seedlings I planted for Arbor Day last year are leafing out nicely. As these seedlings are still all less than six inches in height, you'll understand my enthusiasm.

And I also got the paths mowed and edged, so things are starting to look pretty nice out there.


I've been noticing a cowbird out in the back this past week, and also another, gray bird. And today, I realized that the gray one is a female cowbird (there's also been a catbird hanging around, which was helping me to confuse the identity of this one), when I saw the two of them cavorting together in the apple trees.

I was just enjoying a quiet moment at the end of the work when he came splashing into one of the freshly-filled birdbaths. He had a pretty elaborate session and the sounds of his bathing attracted other attention.

Overhead, a this bluejay circled around and landed at another feeder, where he had a nice drink before flying off again.

Mr. Cowbird made quite a fuss about drying off after his bath, fluttering around near the sun-warmed upper branches of the apple trees, rubbing his beak on the tree branches.

Meanwhile, in another part of the forest, there were three turtles on Basking Log this afternoon. One splashed away before I even snapped a photo, but I managed to get closer than usual before the other two were disturbed.

And then there was one.


Further along the shore, an assortment of green frogs lay still in the shallow edges of the pond, waiting for bugs. It must be their hrrhm hrrhm hrrrhm we've been hearing for the last week or so.

Pondside with the Peepers

A light rain to report here last night. Started around dusk and went on more or less until midnight.

Everything in the gardens this morning looked extra green and satisfied, though I didn't have time to do more than dash past on the way to the car.

I did, however, get this shot (above) of the fog over Boat Creek Marsh as I drove by on my way to work.


After dinner I made a return to the yard, but it was really too dim to appreciate much in the gardens near the house.


With so many trees around, dusk seems to come sooner there than down at the pond's edge, and the sound of the peepers drew me through the woods, growing louder in my ears as I entered their domain.



I didn't see many of these little frogs...but I was absolutely right down in the thick of peeper activity.

Their sound is just crazy-making at close range, but totally cool, as well. It sounds somehow alien, or artificial, the sound and notes are so intense. And SO loud!!

That close, you can hear each one seperately, and that they all seem to be singing different two-note pitches...and you can hear them "changing keys"...their notes adjusting...are they trying to match the pitch of someone and then find them? I wonder if they both have to sing the same two-note song in unison...because that seems almost never to happen.

Is it all for fun? (Could they possibly think of this as work?) It sure sounds like a good time.

In the midst of the distinctive peeping, there were other sounds, too...crickets, perhaps, more of a trilling sound, maybe just a different variety of frog. Lord knows, there are plenty.


I'm sure they were communi cating plenty about the lumber ing giant come down into their midst.

Sometimes all those in the immediate area around me would go silent. And then one would come on, extra loud, perhaps exerting his sense of their territory to me, with the others resuming their songs, as well.

Whatever the peeping's about, it's completely worth spending some time in the midst of, if you're convenient to the habitat. Just make sure you have appropriate footwear: it's wet down there at the water's edge. And watch where you step!

In the pictures above, I was mostly taking pictures of the places where I'd pinpointed the peeping might be coming from. In that first image, I could convince myself I see six or seven of them, though none perfectly in focus. I left the file size large, so you can "embiggen" for study and have yourself a frog hunt.




And in case you really don't have time to spend looking for frogs (but let's be hon est ...who doesn't?), I did get this one clear-ish shot to share with you impatient types.

Some Time Passes...

And so, at this point in the holiday season, critical momentum is suddenly reached, as various activities multiply and fill up all that plentiful "free time" we are so often heard to complain of having had too much of...

MONDAY, 12/11: A house is cleaned. Halls are decked. Coolers stocked, wines chilled and cheese displayed.


Good times, great friends, good tunes: overall, it made for a wonderful party and a fun night.




TUESDAY, 12/12: A mild hangover, but a surprisingly clean house. The problem with the nice temperatures we've been having lately are the winter moths. They are flying everywhere lately. They almost look like snowflakes sometimes when they dance around the Christmas lights. But their caterpillars eat the heck out of trees around here come spring.

The Midnight Gardener quietly turns 42.


WEDNESDAY, 12/13: A rainy day. The always-great NRHS Honors Chorus visits the Courthouse for a holiday performance on a double shift.

Meanwhile, cookie recipes are organized, and the first trip to the grocery baking supply aisle occurs. Gift lists are also reviewed...the infinite nature of Santa is pondered.


THURSDAY: 12/14: The warm weather also means the continued presence of our frogs who, in most years, would be hibernating by now. I'm thinking about issueing each of them a little holiday top hat and cane.


By Wednesday, word has gotten around about the recented gifted Monkey Slippers. They are quite comfy, and cute as a button. Thanks, Ersi!!
FRIDAY, 12/15: Schedules are organized for the baking to be squeezed between work shifts. More baking supplies are laid in. The gift shopping is finally well begun. Many bags piled for later review and organization.

I'm starting to boost the volume on the holiday music, as another of our local stations makes the transition from regular programming to all holiday favorites, all the time. So many great songs...still waiting to hear a few of my personal favorites, while others are typically over-rotated (is anyone else hearing Wham's "Last Christmas" entirely too often this year?!?).



Anyway, with another double shift, the tunes keep the spirit alive. And we had the good news of the birth of a new Nicholas to make us smile, too.




Weary though we become from dashing about (or perhaps because of it), there's always time for a little holiday merriment and relaxation at home.

It's just that sometimes that time comes close to midnight. Here's me snuggling with my Best Girl, before rousing myself to make the dough for some refrigerator cookies.
Here the Bendable Cat chills with his other Dad.






SATURDAY, 12/16: After sufficient coffee, Mint Chocolate Pinwheels are seemingly miraculously created. More shopping is done. A penultimate holiday event at work and a few presents sorted and wrapped in the wee hours.

Somehow during the Friday/Saturday overnight, I have also managed to see most of "Prancer" on AMC, and mysterious managed a reasonable amount of sleep.

SUNDAY, 12/17: Lists are revised (how does Santa get away with only checking them twice??), a shopping run to Hyannis is carefully executed. Sorry there wasn't more time to check out the mall Santa. It might've been fun to have my picture taken with him.

The evening brought a impressive gathering of local talent to the Courthouse stage, for the 3rd or 4th Annual Christmas Cavalcade, which raised an equally-impressive sum to benefit the NOAH Shelter in Hyannis.

My holiday spirit is restored in the discovery that such a fun evening could do so much good.