Hoar or Rime?

Hoar frost or rime ice?

For no rime or reason, I'm

Hoarding the beauty.

Deadly Filament

I was enjoying this peaceful view of the lake one morning when I noticed something glint in the sunlight. Oh no! It was a fishing line dangling from a tree, a sight I hate to see.

Wildlife, be it turtles swimming underwater, loons diving for food or birds foraging in overhanging branches, doesn't notice the invisible thread left behind by careless fishing practices. Once entangled, their instinct is to try and free themselves, but they usually become even more ensnared and lacerated. Many struggling critters become exhausted, and are unable to feed or defend themselves. Rescuers have found birds hanging upside-down on a branch, caught by fishing line, unable to fly off and feed, or right themselves. A hook can become embedded in a diving bird's bill, with the rest of the line caught on a submerged branch, drowning the bird, since it cannot surface. The amputation of limbs or strangulation from tightly wrapped fishing line is a slow, painful and totally unnecessary suffering that can be eliminated if we pick up after ourselves. A pet peeve of mine ...

I've highlighted the fishing line I spied in the branches in the pic below, a hazard that can easily be removed with a little time and patience. I used a branch from the shore to loop and pull the thread, and when it was close enough for me to grip, I pulled the branches towards me, and broke off the twigs around which it was twisted. Most people have a knife or scissors in their tackle box, so there's no excuse to leave it behind once entangled.

I ended up with a lot of discarded line that posed an unnecessary danger to other lifeforms. Can we learn to show more consideration for other beings, and take the time to clean up after ourselves? It's not that difficult to do!

 

A hidden danger

Discarded fishing line glints -

Hazard for wildlife.

Thanks and Giving

 

Robin Wall Kimmerer, my absolute favorite plant ecologist and author, has the most incredible wisdom with regard to gratitude and reciprocity. She reminds us that gratitude is a RENEWABLE resource - it can keep on giving, sustaining itself, and that the heart of gratitude is not about good manners but rather about the recognition and acceptance of our indebtedness to everything on this earth.

Practice gratitude!

Being Bloody Minded

I guess I was bloody-minded about hanging my laundry outdoors when the high temperature was only 45°F (6°C) this week. But then the forecast indicated there might be a few snow showers overnight, so I ventured out into the darkness to retrieve my cold clothing before it got more damp than dry (I had initially intended leaving it hanging overnight).

The Cambridge dictionary describes bloody-minded as: very determined and refusing to give up, to change your mind, or to do what others want you to do - that's me to a T!

Winging It

Could it be a moth?

My first impression thought so,

But it's a winged seed!

 

Berries and Beatniks (Continued)

I finally have my own photo of the floppy headed reeds I wanted to use as a background to the bright berries in the foreground. But the berries in this location were Asiatic bittersweet (foiled again), so I added red berries artificially this time too! I swear I've seen them together like this, that's how the original haiku formed in my mind, but it's usually along highways and dangerous intersections.

These reeds were the main source of thatch for rooves in Europe long ago, and it has now expanded worldwide. It appears to act as an invasive in North American wetlands (no grazing by livestock), even though a North American subspecies, Phragmites australis subsp americanus, is known. It appears that the subspecies is less vigorous, as with many natives.

There are fields and fields of them, along highways, swaying together and forming waves in the breeze.

Holey Tree

I posted about his persistent old tree in April and Dec of 2023, and it is still actively playing a role in our yard. Some shelf fungi have created a beautiful scalloped and flouncy outline along one edge.

The woodpeckers are still finding grubs and insects under the bark apparently.

It has withstood much wind and many storms, surprising us that more healthy ones have succumbed to nature's tempers.

These patterns could be stalactite drip marks in a cave if you use some poetic licence!

Slinking Salamander

During a recent power outage, I needed to go through the set of instructions to operate our new generator. In unearthing the machine (well, hauling it out from its cover), we disturbed this beautiful Eastern red-backed salamander - you can only just see its tiny legs (average body length is between 2.5 and 5 inches long).

It's completely terrestrial, unlike many other salamanders which need to get to a water source for part of their life cycle.

These lungless creatures live in close contact with soil and forest floors, from which they must obtain enough moisture to allow gas exchange through their permeable skin. They are therefore hugely impacted by forest disturbances and timber harvesting.

We made sure to avoid stepping on it, despite it being in our path to and from the generator as we plugged the generator in outside, then switched off breakers inside, then came back outside to start it and adjust the choke etc, etc.

It was a happy find!

Mystery Spoon

I found this interestingly shaped spoon at the Transfer station and wondered to myself (unsuccessfully) what it could be designed for. The flat bottom made me think it must have a particular purpose, maybe part of a salad server set ... 

A Google search helped me stumble onto cooking and roux spoons, which this appears to be - the flat edge is to help scrape and cover the bottom of a pan better than a rounded edge. Many wooden implements have this shape, and don't feel they have to masquerade as a spoon!

Playground Immersion

Richard Powers' latest book Playground, published in September 2024, has been longlisted for the Booker prize and shortlisted for the Kirkus prize. As with his other books, this is a complex, fascinating and thought-provoking read.

I always come away from his books inspired. His work prompts both investigative curiosity in ideas and philosophies, as well as reflection. 

This quote by JP Carse is one of the central themes of the book:

“A finite game is played for the purpose of winning, an infinite game for the purpose of continuing the play.”

This really resonated with me, reminding me that my life is not singularly meaningful, but part of the grand process of life. Our lives are not part of a "game" to be SOLVED, but a "game" to figure out how to keep playing and BEING - it is not to hoard, or win or dominate, but to survive to keep playing the game, to keep living and staying sane - exactly what I decided to do after the disastrous election results earlier this month.

What is also very striking to me about the concept of play as 'learning to be' is that my husband penned an essay in 1983, which he entitled "Playing is the Game," in which he put forward play as a means to learn and grow. He was ahead of his time!

Richard Powers is an intellectually powerful writer - well worth exploring, and highly recommended. I love his books.

Light Patterns

Solution to yesterday's patterns: the play of light through floor slats, illuminated from below by a string of lights at different intervals, scattered upwards onto a wall.

Accidental Art

 Any guesses as to what I've captured here?

Tomorrow I shall try to provide an explanation ...

Berries and Beatniks

 

Straw colored beatniks
Wave their fluffy heads amidst
Red winterberries

I lifted a beautiful Common reed sketch from The Art Hand, (specifically Phragmites australis/Common Reed/Black pencil and watercolour on paper, Yanny Petters 2007) as the background against which I could insert red berries to illustrate my haiku vision -

Fierce Larva

Whilst observing my aquatic plant specimen in its tray this week, I noticed movement of little 'twigs' on the bottom of the container every now and again. Of course, I had to isolate one and observe it at close quarters. It was a worthwhile endeavor - this is what I saw:

It's a beautiful caddisfly larva - so distinctively striped as to look fierce! It drags a little self-made protective case around with it as it seeks food (detritus and organic matter). Every now and then it protrudes from its tube to grab something to ingest, but it never leaves the casing entirely. Its abdomen is quite long, very similar to that of a caterpillar, but most of it stays hidden in its casing. 

To complete its metamorphosis, it seals up the tube, continues developing to near- adult and then breaks out of the casing, swimming to the surface to complete its final molt before flying away, looking completely different.

Here's a photo from Encyclopedia Britannica that shows an Adult caddisfly.

 

Miniature World

A "project" that has recently been taking a lot of our time, is the amazing gift of a train layout - its owner is having to move out of his long-term family home due to age and the need to downsize. He offered the layout to Dale in return for the dismantling and removal of it all, (including all the hardware and benchwork) to ready his home to go on the market in Massachusetts.

His layout is fantastic, a clear labor of love over the years, and we feel honored to take it on and continue his legacy, by combining it with Dale's collection.

Look at the beautiful and realistic scenes he has created:

 

 

I've enjoyed working on this project, though I am not really a train enthusiast. It's sad to undo someone's detailed work but at the same time, it's been a lovely opportunity to get to know the nicest, welcoming couple and hear about their life experiences.

Here I am unscrewing track in their basement - as you can see, we are nearing the end.

 

Seedy Sunset

Joe Pye weed setting seed in the setting sun

I love the spiky detail!

 

Hedgehog

I found this fascinating looking pupa whilst stacking firewood - it looked exactly like a mini-hedgehog without features.

When I did a Google Lens query on it, the answer came back as  ... 'hedgehog,' which I KNOW it is not. I guess the search query and I were on the same page.

It looks like a pupa of one of those hairy caterpillars (tussock moth caterpillars) that includes its hairy tufts in its pupa-making, making for a fuzzy cocoon.

At Wits' End

The adored cat, about whom sweet verses have been penned, can also be a darn nuisance. He insists on patrolling our kitchen countertops, a big and decisive NO-NO. We have chased him, sprayed him with water, locked him up in a time-out room, shouted at him, clapped our hands at him, and sometimes managed to slap him as he runs away. It doesn't deter him in the least. As SOON as we sit down to eat, knowing we don't have the ability to see into the kitchen, he's up there, even though we clear food and cutting boards away before we sit at the dining table. Now, every mealtime, we lock him away in the sunroom while we eat because he just won't comply.

We have tried leaving packaging tape, sticky side up, on the counters when we're not using them, but it's difficult to remember they're there, making it a difficult environment to work in. If I take it away to work with food, I often forget to put it back. It seems effective for a while, but inevitably he gets back up to explore, sometimes blatantly while I'm standing there stirring a cup of coffee!

I recently tried frightening him off with balloons along the countertops, and though he cried initially, he overcame his fear and jumped up despite the waving balloons.

I'm now trying foil strips along the counter top edges - such a bind. It's awkward having these obstructions there, but so far, I don't think he's trespassed in the 2 days this has been my kitchen set-up. He sits at the base of my kitchen cabinets and cries, complaining that we're thwarting his fun escapades!

Update to this method: he's not at all deterred and has been caught patrolling and exploring my counters despite the aluminum foil. What now? A combination of all 3?

I've thought of tying him up with a bow and leaving the poor darling on the curb with a "FREE" sign around his neck (and an Amazon gift card thrown in for good measure). Or maybe I'll send him off across the ocean to an island far away 😀!

Incomprehensibly, though, I love him to bits! 💓

Beautiful Fungus

We found this magnificent white mulch fungus spreading its way under the damp, dark nether regions of a container of sticks and kindling in our carport.

It's so delicate and feathery up close, both ethereal and dramatic all at once.

 

It appears to be both feathery and hairy-looking at the same time, too! 

Maybe even like little pussy toes?

Pattypan Pokeweed

The regally colored berries of Phytolacca americana look like pattypan squash shapes up close - how exquisite!

Pokeweed berries make a great dye, but the berries' toxins make them unsuitable for human consumption. Birds love them. They stand out amidst their droopy November foliage.

Waterworks on our Doorstep

Oh, drama! Returning home one evening after a few days away, we encountered water gushing out of the dirt road directly in front of our driveway. It had been called in to our works crew by a neighbor, and after a site visit in the dark, repairs were delayed till the morning. They didn't disconnect the water, just left it running all night! We therefore still had water at home, but very little pressure. The water from the taps looked discolored, so I boiled and filtered it through a coffee filter.

I'm not sure why the office advises that it's still okay to drink when it looks this bad after settling out. ("you may notice "brown water." This discoloration is caused by naturally occurring minerals that have settled inside the water mains and have been disturbed due to fluctuating water pressures. While these minerals may look unappealing, they are not harmful.")

  

The maintenance crew arrived in the morning, as promised, and after a few hours, our service was back to normal. More soil was needed to fully fill and compact the excavated area, but that part was not done immediately, so ... 

... they left this awesome ride with us for a few days until the site was entirely compacted and cleared. I would have loved to take it for a spin ... it was SO tempting - remember, I am a diesel mechanic's daughter; I was brought up on the smell of car grease and the sound of air-brakes 😃

Pressed Arrowhead

I've finally finished preparing my Arrowhead plant for display in my study. But I cracked the glass as I secured it into the frame with staples. Aargh. Now to find a similar frame at the Transfer station and re-do it ...

Grappling and Grieving

Would that this peaceful scene represents my mood right now. It's idyllic, yes - the lake surface is smooth, the spent leaves are resting on the ground, and the trees are standing immobile in the sunshine,

... but I'm struggling to see the world in the same way after the devastating election results this week. Inner turmoil. I'm having trouble reconciling with, and understanding, how morals and principles are no longer desirable attributes in a human being and leader. My attempts at 'carrying on' aren't working, because the world looks bleaker to me than it did earlier this week. I don't feel as if I'm part of the same tribe. I'm lost and unmotivated, listless.

Why do I regard regime changes as impactful when we humans are truly insignificant specks of dust in the cosmos, a tiny part of the workings of this planet? Yet I'm reacting as if this election is earth shattering. Am I attributing too much weight and importance to humans, because I'm part of it, a natural anthropocentrism? And yet I know that what we do, how we act and behave (accelerated climate change, anyone?) DOES have an impact on our planet's functioning and future. In the grand scheme of things though, we are miniscule actors on the stage, imagining we are grander and more influential than we actually are.

Somehow, nature manages to soldier on, no matter what havoc or devastation we've wrought, no matter the unforeseen changes. Growth returns each year, without fail, after the loss of leaves, and the months of snowpack. Different organisms colonize the space we create when we destroy habitats. Nature is about change, about adaptation to what-is; stasis dooms it to extinction. Can I too, find a way to grow from this, and forge onward after grieving for what could have been? I don't mean I ought to give in, lie down and submit, rather that I need to find a way to actively live my beliefs in a bolder, more influential way.

But before I take a page from Nature's book and adapt to things in the past I cannot change, I'm going to indulge myself, stamp my feet and have a satisfying tantrum!