To say it was a beautiful day would not begin to explain it. It was that day when the end of summer intersects perfectly with the start of fall.
— Ann Patchett
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Archive for the ‘Other’ Category
That Day
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, endings and beginnings, fall, summer, Thoughts on August 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »
An Interesting Find
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, home, interesting creatures on August 24, 2023| Leave a Comment »
You know how I’m always going on about how nice it is to not mow because duh, mowing is a drag, but also because it creates space for plants and insects we don’t usually see in your average suburban lawn? Well, the good news is that my backyard is busy. Not only do I have lemon verbena and apple mint and milkweed popping up from previous years’ seeds, along with aster and grapes and lamb’s quarters and sorrel and the like, yay, but I just met something new.
Meet the pigeon horntail, which is not a pigeon and not a dragon but is instead a giant insect native to these parts. I’ve never seen one before and I certainly didn’t expect to meet one while out refilling the bird bath.
Halfway into the yard a loud buzzing caught my attention. It sounded like a phone on vibrate, but no. It was instead a very large (and somewhat scary looking) wasp-like creature, about two inches long with a ginormous stinger-like protuberance (not a stinger, but I didn’t know it at the time). It appeared to be freshly born as the buzzing was from its sole moving wing. The second wing was still stuck to its body. I happened to have clear pitcher with me and popped it over top of the thing to get a photo, then looked it up.
Pigeon Horntail (Tremex columba) · iNaturalist Canada
Let’s see:
— Tremex columba, species of wasp also known as the horntail wasp or wood wasp
— native to eastern and western North America (good, so I don’t have to kill it like a lantern fly or murder hornet)
— does not sting or bite (phew, seriously, that tail thingie is no joke)
All good. They like decaying wood so I’m guessing its parental figure was attracted by the stack of wood we acquired after trimming the trees.
I’m not a bug person but it was an interesting new find. I watched until it freed its second wing. And off it flew.
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Summer Love
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, memories, summer, Thoughts on August 23, 2023| Leave a Comment »
It’s the end of August and I feel the way I did as a kid, watching the school year approach. The weather has mimicked Fall for weeks but now it’s almost here in truth. Cool winds, thunderstorms, and the inexorable sense that the seasons continue to turn.
And now, I’m missing something that is not yet gone.
To summer, with love.
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Best In Neighborhood
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, home, Thoughts on August 5, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Today, a moment of happiness.
Picture it: the sun has finally come out, the day is warm and the wild things have voted our little yard Best in Neighborhood. Mr Man and I are having lunch under a canopy on the deck out back. This is not a day to consider the cracked boards or the layers of pine needles or the gutter gunk. It’s a day to see the four juvenile robins play-fighting to determine who will get the upper bird bath first, and then squawk when they are all pre-empted by a grackle. It is a day to notice that we are hosting not just animals, but families. The chipmunk has two smaller companions, Mr and Mrs Cardinal are both present, a pair of mourning doves stop by, there are three woodpeckers at the feeder, and the black-capped chickadees shepherd smaller versions of themselves first to the suet, and then to the nyjer, and finally to the sunflower seeds. Squirrels also visit, black and brown and grey, including one flicking the longest, plushest tail I’ve yet seen. There are sparrows and more finches than I can count, a mix of brownish, reddish and a vibrant shade I’m calling Attention-Grabbing Gold.
The extra shot of happiness comes when I realize that our yard is doing an admirable job of being exactly what our wild neighbors need.
The yard is not particularly photogenic. The bushes are a little scruffy and what grass persists is overlong. Hastas and honeysuckle and sweet woodruff sidle up next to lamb’s quarters and dandelions, violets and goldenrod, clover and daisies and oxalis. I don’t mind. It provides water, food and shelter, and is homey and inviting in a way that over-manicured spaces frequently are not.
And our wild neighbors don’t mind a bit.
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Tiny, Big
Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, adventure, inspiration, Thoughts on August 2, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Summer can be a time to plan big, but today I am going to suggest that you consider adventures a little closer to home.
The Microadventure-Filled Life of Alastair Humphreys
Humphreys defines a microadventure as “a shorter, simpler, cheaper, more local, more accessible version of what you deem to be an adventure. It’s something that you can squeeze in around the margins of real life.”
I kind of love this idea, of finding what’s interesting right around the corner.
Now I’m off to consider what might be fun to do around town. Like this, which holy crap, looks both scary and crazy cool!
Interzip Rogers – The interprovincial zip line.
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A.K.A.
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, back to work!, Thoughts on July 25, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Tuesday, also known as “the most acceptable day of the week to eat marshmallow fluff with a spoon.”
Mmm, delicious.
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Typical View
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, cat herding, sweet cat, Thoughts, Tuesdays on July 18, 2023| Leave a Comment »
A typical view from my desk (especially around lunchtime):
Don’t Be the Frog*
Posted in Holidays, Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, climate change, cocktails, heat, irony, Thoughts, travel, weather on July 17, 2023| Leave a Comment »
This one’s for two of my parental units, currently on vacation in some of the hottest parts of the world right now, and everyone else facing down the record-busting summer heat.
8 mistakes to avoid if you’re going out in the heat
- Too much, too soon: You need to acclimatize
- Failing to pre-hydrate (and rehydrate!)
- Don’t be the frog in the boiling pot (i.e., your car)
- Heat + (certain) medications don’t mix
- Don’t ignore the early signs of heat-related illness
- Know when to seek medical attention
- Wear loose, light clothing
- Alcohol is a bad call
Stay hydrated, folks!**
* Note: The whole “boiling a frog” fable is, as the Curator of Reptiles and Amphibians at the US National Museum of Natural History said: “Well that’s, may I say, bullsh*t.” Frogs are way smarter than that.
** As mentioned in the article, alcohol isn’t a great idea when it’s hot. If you feel you must drink an adult beverage, however, irony suggests that you consider the Heat Wave.
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Look to the Future
Posted in Other, Writing, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, Thoughts, ughs, weather on July 13, 2023| Leave a Comment »
Things I’d rather not do today, but will:
- work on the day-job project that’s been lurking on my to-do list
- figure out what to do with the sadly inadequate results of a new brownie recipe
- take care of some “just in case” items; thanks, tornado warning!
My future self will thank me. Probably.
“I look to the future because that’s where I’m going to spend the rest of my life.”
— George Burns
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Balancing Act
Posted in Other, tagged #365Ways, #365Ways2023, #thebalance, Chicago, secrets, Thoughts on July 10, 2023| Leave a Comment »
It’s been a weird day. (Do I say that a lot? Feels like I might, but whatever. It’s definitely true today. And maybe I just expect too much in the way of normality.)
Yesterday was signings and beer and gelato. All good. Today? Things that can go wrong, do.
I’ve written about this before, in The Balance. It’s still funny, and still (mostly) true. And now I’m off to set things right.
You, on the other hand, might be interested to know that (checks extensive list of interesting factoids) there is a secret tunnel network under Chicago.
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