Honeysuckle
Ironweed Seed Heads
Poke Berries
Goldenrod
Asters
These, such as they are, will likely be the last of the flowery things for the year.
Tag: Autumn
Maple Leaf
While taking the trash out and peeing the dog, I spotted this on the sidewalk. A maple leaf had fallen and left a perfect image of itself stained on the pavement.
Breakfast of Champions
Banana Bread
It was it was grey and sprinkley this morning when I walked the dog. Not cold, but windy, with a definite feeling of fall in the air. I came home and decided it would be a good day to bake, so I made banana bread.
My recipe doesn’t call for vanilla, but that seems very wrong, so I added it anyway. I also used half whole wheat flour and sucanat instead of sugar. The result is darker and richer than normal banana bread. Dark brown sugar or adding a touch of molasses will yield a similar result. Mmmm.
Of course, not long after I turned on the oven, the sun decided to come out. It looks like it’s going to be a gorgeous day after all.
Fall
Wheelbarrow and Bricks
Fall is starting in earnest! There are yellow patches beginning to peek through the trees. While walking Harriet last night, there were leaves crunching under my feet, and this morning, it was so chilly that I had to run back inside for a jacket. And the sky! It’s been the most spectacular pure blue color.
I love this time of year.
A Confession
I was very, very bad. I tried to behave myself, but I suddenly couldn’t stand it anymore, and I ordered a Holga filter set for digital and 35mm cameras, a pinhole camera, and a Holga camera with colored flash. No, I don’t need a fancified Holga, and I could have made my own pinhole camera, but I probably would have never gotten around to it. Altogether, I think I spent about $100, so it’s not like I really lost my mind or anything. Still, I can’t help but feel like I did something I shouldn’t have.
These are a few of my favorite photos taken with various toy cameras.
Raspberry Canes in Snow, 8 January 2005
Frost, Autumn 2004
Autumn 2004
Sunrise, Autumn 2004
Trees in Snow, 8 January 2005
Oh Crispety Day
Do you know what’s beautiful? Waking up to find that Fall is well and truly here. It was 30F outside this morning when I got up. Inside, it was 70F, and I still haven’t turned on the heat. It’s weird to live in such a tightly insulated place after living in the equivalent of a big tent for the past five and a half years.
Monday Sunset
Monday was pretty grim, with cold rain and drizzle all day long. The clouds started to clear a bit in the evening, but I was so distracted with packing and loading the car that I nearly missed what was going on in the sky. As I took the last load out, I noticed the western horizon had cleared enough that the setting sun was reflecting off the tops of the trees in the east. The rich, warm sunlight on the green leaves, against the still grey eastern sky, was gorgeous. Then, I turned around and saw that the western horizon was luminescent. I didn’t think there’d be much of a sunset, but I stayed outside to see if I could catch some crepuscular rays. There weren’t any, but the sky began to shift toward the gold, then orange, so I thought maybe there would be a pretty sunset after all. While I was waiting for the colors to shift some more, I turned around to check the progress of the sunlight on the eastern trees. Rainbow! I shot photos of it until it faded, then turned around to check on the sunset again. It had shifted to an even brighter gold, then peachy tones started to creep in as the sky above faded to dark blue. The colors shifted so rapidly that you could almost watch them change. The show continued long past the point where I was able to get decent photos. Even when the sky was nearly black, there was a sliver of red above the western horizon.
Oh, and did I mention the chill in the air? I was standing out in the wet grass, barefoot, and was able to see my breath. My feet were like blocks of ice when I finally went back indoors. Fall is here, folks! The trees are beginning to change color, it’s been down in the low 40s at night, and the early morning stars, when the sky isn’t overcast, are brilliant.
The Rainy Season
The rainy season has begun in Indiana. One might think spring time would be the wettest part of the year, but we always seem to get a stretch of rain in the fall that lingers and lingers and, without fail, makes me think I should begin building an ark. The rain started last night, along with periodic lightning and rolling thunder. We’re under a tornado watch until this evening, too, so the weather could get exciting.
Can you spot the dog? Harriet is, unsurprisingly, not amused about the onset of cooler weather. She insists on being covered up while she sleeps, and who can blame her? Right now, she’s in bed, curled up under a pile of blankets and comforters. That’s what one does on a cold, rainy day, right? Sleep? I know that’s what I want to do. In fact, a nap is sounding quite inviting.
Taken last Saturday just after sunset. There were thick clouds covering the entire sky, except the section just above the western horizon. It’s not a very good photo, but I liked the contrast of the large, dark area against the small window of light.
We had a blazing sunset last Wednesday. It was like looking at a lava flow and seeing the cooled, blackened crust breaking open to show the glowing, molten lava underneath. (Yeah, I watch way too much nature television.)
All About Asses
First, the Crankypantsing and Nitpicking:
- It’s crapS shoot, not crap shoot. Shooting crap is what Kenny did, and if that’s what you’re suffering from, I suggest seeking medical attention ASAP.
- I hope that whoever went a-Googling for “ejaculating your cat” found, um, help. Ew.
- It’s not a good idea to drive down the highway in the pitch dark without headlights. I’m just sayin’. Even if it weren’t a safety issue, it tends to creep out people like me when you sneak up behind us. Asswagon.
- I hope that whoever gave me the plague (respiratory, not crap-shooting) is enjoying my misery, because I’m sure as hell not. I’m tired of blowing my nose and sucking on cough drops. Enough, already!
This is the view from my front door, looking to the southeast. I got only a few photos of the foliage after it (finally!) turned color, but before it got blown to smithereens by last weekend’s storm. This was taken on the one nice, clear day we had during that interval.
Rory Update:
Rory had PU (Perineal Urethrostomy) surgery on Tuesday. Basically, it involves amputation of the penis and widening of the urethra. This was the last resort for him, as his urethra and bladder were in terrible shape from years of crystals and, we found, stones. He was a mass of inflamed scar tissue. Once we’re able to get the uroliths properly diagnosed, he can be put on a food that will inhibit their growth. The surgery will hopefully allow him to pass any stones or crystals that do develop.
The surgery went well, but he was stressed by being at the vet, so she recommended that I take him home ASAP. I picked him up Wednesday after work. He looked good, and seemed relatively comfortable and relaxed during the drive home. He stretched out in his carrier and chatted with me. I think he now understands that when I pick him up at the vet, it means he’s going home, home, home.
Physically and mentally, I think he’s doing well. His stitches look good, though he’s got the funniest baboon ass in captivity. It’s shaved and still dyed red from the antiseptic. I’ll try to get a photo of it (it’s truly special), if I can. He’s all about the sweet, sweet lovin’, though, so getting a photo of his back end will be difficult. He’s too busy having me scratch and rub his head and neck to turn around.
He’s not into the prescription food, unfortunately. I think part of the problem is that it’s canned, and he’s not a big fan of canned food. He usually takes a couple of bites and leaves the rest. The vet said that, since we’re waiting for urolith analysis, I can go ahead and feed him his old food for the time being. It took him awhile to get the knack of eating with the satellite dish around his head, but by late yesterday afternoon, he was getting pretty good at it. He’s still not drinking on his own, though, so I’m having to force water down him with a syringe. He’s not happy about it, but he’s got the attention span of a gnat, so as soon as I’m finished, he forgets that he hates me. It’s nice to have a cat who is incapable of holding a grudge.
He’s peeing like a champ, which is a huge relief–nice, big pools of it, too, instead of the little spots that were common when he’d start blocking or would get a UTI. I’m concerned that he’s not had a bowel movement, but I think the fact that he fasted for a few days accounts for that. He didn’t start eating well until later in the day yesterday, so it may take awhile for things to start, um, moving through him properly.
Autumn Photoblogging
St. Andrews Cross Spider (Argiope aurantia)
The grasshopper was hanging out on my deck this afternoon. It’s a little late in the season for bugs, but it’s been warm, so they’re still active. There was something cricket-like chirping away last night, and the evil Japanese beetles are swarming.
We’ve had a few nice sunsets recently. The third photo is of the last full moon, rising in the east, with the Belt of Venus.
I had been dubious about the trees turning color, but we seem to have gotten enough rain in time. Most of the leaves have dropped, after last weekend’s blowing winds, but I got a few photos before that happened. I love the contrast of the oranges, yellows, and reds–lit by the near-setting sun–against the heavy, grey clouds.
Auntie Em! Auntie Em! As I mentioned, we had a hell of a storm over the weekend. It had been super windy during the day on Saturday, but warm and the sky seemed to clear up a bit in the afternoon. That night, the wind picked up, with gusts up to 65mph. Yikes! I woke up at 1:45, scared half to death. There aren’t any storm sirens, because I live in the country, so I turned on the television to see if there were any weather alerts. The Terre Haute stations, which usually have the best weather coverage for my area, were still on regular programming. ABC from Indy had radar up, but, because Indy is the center of their universe, they weren’t showing or discussing what was going on in the southern part of the state. Bastards!
A little after 2:00am, CBS from Terra Haute started covering the storm. We were under a severe thunderstorm warning, but as far as the radar and coverage went, the storm didn’t sound all that serious. It slacked off a bit, then it started to hail, then all hell broke loose. Um, that’s when tornadoes usually occur–on the back end of the storm. And they’re often accompanied by hail. Yikes. Luckily, all we had were heavy straight-line winds. The folks south of us, though, were not as lucky. [ETA: According to Wikipedia, 25 people died. It was the deadliest tornado to hit the state in 30 years.]
Tangent Alert! While I was flipping channels, looking for storm info, I came across an episode of Soul Train. That show is still on? Oh my. What really caught my attention, though, was the animated Soul Train logo. How rude! I looked to see if I could find it online, but couldn’t. So, I shall attempt to describe it. Picture an animated, silver steam engine. Picture it with a big, fat penis on top. Picture the penis ejaculating spasmotically. Picture the train thrusting in time to the penis’ spasms. O ick. Perhaps that might explain why the show airs at 2am?
I’m supposed to go to Chicago tomorrow night, so see Bauhaus. It doesn’t look like it’s going to happen, though, which I’m bummed about. Rory-cat is having surgery this afternoon, and will hopefully come home tomorrow, so I’ll have to stay home to keep an eye on him. He spent a week and a half hospitalized for a severe UTI, struvite crystals, and recurring blockages. I brought him home yesterday and he blocked again. He was in good spirits, soliciting attention and chin rubs, but he wasn’t eating, drinking, or eliminating. Clearly, he was blocked again. The last resort is surgery to have his penis amputated and to widen his urethra. Hopefully, it will successfully solve his problems, and he’ll be able to have a good quality of life. He’s a damnfine cat, and I think he deserves to have a shot at having a good, comfortable life, if possible.
red paper boat 