free to fly

out my window i glimpsed this monarch butterfly hanging on the bridal wreath bush. she had just emerged from her chrysalis which hangs transparent up and to the right from this spot where she is drying her wings in the late september sunshine. it was warm there amidst the dying milkweed plants. i hope she soon gathered her strength and flew.

brahms lullaby

these are some of the figurines on my best music box. made in germany and at least thirty three years old. great detail in these figures and the others atop the rotating platform. and marvelous timbre as the lullaby plays. i spent some time cleaning it up and reglueing angel wings and sheep ears in anticipation of passing the music box on to the girl and her baby.

more morning glories

at the risk of boring you here's one more picture of the morning glories on the trellis in the garden. why the heavenly blue flowers are now blooming as snow white is not only a shocking surprise its a mystery.

cleaning out

a big weekend of attic cleaning with lots of memories and many trips to the dump. among the finds - ancient wall art from the girl's nursery, a bridesmaids dress from a family wedding, boxes and boxes of toys and books, music boxes packed away for twenty-five years, and this lovely crewel artwork from the seventies, begun when eyesight was much better than it is at present. too bad i didnt finish it while i was still able.

alls quiet

early hours this morning were still and quiet as they have been for several days now. no rustling of leaves in the wind. no sounds of animals in the woods. no calling of birds not even crows which are often so vocal in late summer. slowly waking up early this saturday morning the only sound herad was the faint scritch scratching of some small creature trying to move inside as the air chills down.

sweet annie

this is sweet annie an annual artemesia. i harvested most of it and have it hanging in the house to dry. its scent is heavenly. when touched it will smell like summer all winter long.

a lost sole

a tiny pink shoe sitting on a fence post apparently lost by some youngling. it remains unclaimed still. how can someone not miss something thats part of a pair?

swamp maples

maples are just beginning to turn color as witnessed by this stand of trees at the edge of a calm and still pond nearby.

woodsmoke

driving down the road tonight the occasional smell of woodsmoke drifted in through the window. cool day today between two cold nights. last night was chilly enough that i picked all the tomatoes and some of the remaining flowers. i brought in some plants. i put an extra quilt on the bed. and it was in fact a bit frosty this morning. chilly enough to turn on the heat.

first apples of fall

an afternoon trip on back roads and up hills to the local orchard for the first time this year. early macs and an apple pie still warm from the oven. the proprieter suggests a walk through the orchard and up the hill to photograph this spectacular view. absolutely worth the trip and a lovely way to spend a sunday in september.

fashion faux pas

this is what happens when you get dressed too quickly in the morning. good thing i looked down and noticed before i got too far out the door.

the other corn

every summer i lose weight. every fall i gain it back. its work i always convince myself. its stress eating i decide. its my body adapting to the colder temperatures i think. in fact the culprit is right here. its indian corn. this confection marks the beginning of a long list of fall delights which ends with eggnog at christmas. no lectures please. perhaps posting this information will do for my snacking habits what the sidebar list of books has done for my reading .

remembrance

six years ago it was passing this display of yellow edged leaves that made me turn around and go back to get my camera. only when i looked through the lens did i fully realize what a spectacular morning it was - bright bright blue sky, still cool air, brilliant sunshine. a glorious early fall morn. i quickly shot half a roll of film. grasses and insects with the macro. trees leaves fields and the river with the telephoto. good shots. yet some days later i again took the camera and purposefully exposed the film negating the photos forever. the memory of how perfect that morning had been was by then just too painful to recall.

wooly bear

found on a weed over the weekend this is a wooly bear caterpillar the larvae of some common moth. in new england theres a myth that you can predict the coming winters weather by the width of a wooly bears brown band. a wide stripe means it will be a mild winter and a narrow one signifies a harsh season. knowing that the just published farmers alamac forecasts above normal temperatures and precipitation im thinking maybe this caterpillar is not yet grown up enough to predict anything.

a double whammy

a double birthday celebration here this weekend but thats not the reason for two cakes. in the cake on the left the water was inadvertently omitted from the assembly rendering the resulting cake incredibly dense and dry. a quick trip to the grocery store for a second mix for the cake on the right which was too hastily removed from the hot pan so that some of it came out and some did not. hmmmm. which one to frost and decorate? its a real toss up as both cakes are equally pitiful.

heavenly blue

out the back window the brilliant blue of this bloom was astonishing. up close it was even better. in pajamas and bare feet i photographed it before the flower opened completely in the early morning sunshine.

tgif

a no maintainence dinner for the end of a very long very tiring work week. i dont know what ill do next week when i have to work five days instead of four.

a visit

apple trees at the home of a friend taken as evening approached. shes lately had marauding bears at her fruit trees. but even though a small group of us sat and visited on her porch until well after dark, even though we talked in quiet hushed tones and had long periods of silence as we unwound in the midst of the surrounding night noises, even though we were very still, we did not see a single bear.

tiny tomatoes

lots of green tomatoes remain in the garden on leggy september vines. with cooler nights now who knows if they will ever ripen. the only variety still red are these little cherry tomatoes shown here sitting in the afternoon sun on the back windowsill.

full circle

the crabapple that s&s planted last fall to mark their wedding day has passed through three seasons and is again bearing fruit. looks like its going to make it after all.

last weekend of summer

i was going to go to work today. i really was. but who could work on such a glorious day? in church this morning we sang:
sing to the mountains sing to the sea,
raise your voices lift your hearts
this is the day the lord has made
let all the earth rejoice.
so i did rejoice. and marveled at the beauty of the day. and took pictures. and walked. and read. and sang. and did not work.